Taiwan warns of mainland military threat to command, control systems in call for long-range missiles
- Defence minister seeks weapons upgrades that will let the enemy know ‘we are prepared as soon as they dispatch their troops’
- Taiwan’s command and communications lines would be targeted first, he warns, as annual report shows mainland ability to ‘paralyse’ island defences
Beijing claims self-ruled Taiwan as its own territory, to be reunited by force if necessary.
“The development of equipment must be long-range, precise, and mobile, so that the enemy can sense that we are prepared as soon as they dispatch their troops,” he added, referring to Taiwan’s missile capability.
In a written report to legislators to accompany Chiu’s appearance, the ministry said both medium- and long-range missiles were being used in intercept drills at a key test facility on Taiwan’s southeastern coast.
Chiu declined to give details of how far Taiwan’s missiles could reach, something the government has always keep well under wraps.
Taiwan offered an unusually stark assessment in its annual report on the mainland’s military, saying they could “paralyse” the island’s defences and were able to fully monitor its deployments.