Taiwan to boost defences of tiny islet outpost Dongyin with short-range automated weapons
- Home-grown system will be in place before the end of the year, according to Taiwanese defence ministry
- Dongyin is less than 50km from Fujian province on the Chinese mainland and is regarded as vulnerable to a PLA attack
The plan to step up Dongyin’s combat capability follows concerns raised in February when a small civilian aircraft from the mainland flew near the islet, which is part of the Taiwan-controlled Matsu archipelago.
Beijing has not ruled out the use of force to take Taiwan, which it claims as part of its territory, and has heaped pressure on the island’s independence-leaning President Tsai Ing-wen in a bid to push her to agree to unification talks.
In a report sent to the legislature last week, the Taiwanese defence ministry said testing of the weapons system was complete, and asked lawmakers to unfreeze funding for its deployment.
“The army is expected to finish installing the weapon before the end of September and a full inspection and takeover of the system is expected before the end of November,” the report said, adding the system should be operational before the end of the year.