TAIPEI - Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian said on Tuesday China had 1,328 ballistic missiles aimed at the self-ruled island, up by more than a third from a previous estimate, further threatening stability in the Taiwan Strait. In his final New YearÂ’s Day address before stepping down in May, Chen said the number of short-range ballistic missiles deployed against Taiwan had gone from 200 in 2000, when he took office, and now exceeded his most recent estimate of 988.
Chen railed against ChinaÂ’s growing military threat, saying its PeopleÂ’s Liberation Army had finalised plans for an invasion and planned to push out the bounds of its airspace.
‘In addition to setting in motion a three-stage plan for its People’s Liberation Army to invade Taiwan, Beijing is poised to designate an ‘air defence identification zone’ in the Taiwan Strait and open a new civil air route along the median of the Taiwan Strait,’ said Chen. ‘In doing so, China is once again challenging and attempting to unilaterally change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait.’
Chen has previously said the three-stage plan includes establishing combat preparedness for contingencies in the Strait by 2007, ensuring capabilities for large-scale engagements by 2010 and being ready to ensure a decisive victory over Taiwan by 2015. |