TW MISSILES CAN REACH BEIJING?

Former minister of national defense in the ex-DPP administration, Tsai Min-hsien, has revealed in his latest book that Taiwan's self-developed missile can reach as far as Beijing. However, some KMT legislators worry that this information may harm the warming cross-strait relations.

There hadn't been no official confirmation on whether Taiwan is capable of developing a ballistic missile with a shooting range over 1,000 kilometers.

But in the latest memoir published by former Minister of National Defense Tsai Ming-hsien, he mentioned for the first time that he once accompanied former president Chen Shui-bian to inspect the test firing of ballistic missiles by Chung Shan Institute of Science and Technology before the presidential election in 2008.

The shooting range was proven to have exceeded that of a mid-range ballistic missile and Chen was really pleased with the result.

But the U.S. government expressed its concern the second week after the test firing.

While it is the first time that former government official admitted certain level of achievement by the national army, the Ministry of National Defense remains low-key and refuses to comment.

If Taiwan is able to develop a mid-to-long range missile, it means that the range could reach Beijing.

KMT legislators criticize Tsai's intention to reveal such secret and which may hinge cross-strait relations.

But DPP legislators believe it is an important achievement of national defense autonomy.

Though the former minister of national defense confirms the old rumor in his book, President Ma ordered to mass produce Taiwan's first land attack cruise missile, the Hsiung Feng-2E,

as a gesture to declare Taiwan's determination to develop its own attack weapon system despite pressure from the U.S. and China.

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