Deterrence stressed in Tang speech

Minister of National Defense Tang Yao-ming (湯曜明) said yesterday that offense is the best defense while confirming that the military has missiles capable of reaching China.

"Some of our missiles have a range long enough to reach China," Tang said. "Our strategy is to build an effective deterrence against China. This can explain all our arms build-up efforts in recent years.

"Offense is the best defense. We definitely have the ability to fight with the Chinese military. Our combat strength is rated highly in the world," Tang said.

Tang made the remarks yesterday at a meeting of the National Defense Committee of the legislature as he responded to concerns from lawmakers over China's military threat to Taiwan.

Before answering questions from lawmakers, Tang delivered the Ministry of National Defense's most recent report on the military threat China poses to Taiwan.

The report highlighted the more than 400 short-range ballistic missiles China has deployed across the Taiwan Strait and noted that China is preparing to deploy several new short- and medium-range ballistic missile brigades that will represent an even bigger threat to Taiwan's security.

KMT Legislator Lin Nan-sheng (林南生) asked Tang what countermeasures the military had prepared against China's short-range ballistic missiles.

Tang replied that the military has missiles that could reach China, without specifying which part of China those missiles could reach.

The military has two types of missiles in its inventory that are capable of reaching China.

One is the medium-range Sky Horse missile, which has a range of 1,000km. It was developed in the 1970s but did not go into mass production. The project was halted in early 1980s because of pressure from the US.

Eight to 10 Sky Horse missiles were produced before the US intervention, sources said. They are believed to be hidden somewhere in the central mountain range.

The second type of missile in the category is a variation of the Sky Bow II surface-to-air missile. The surface-to-surface version has a range of close to 300km and was deployed during the 1996 Taiwan Strait Crisis.

The military is expected to bring into service in the next few years the Hsiung Feng-III missile, which is being developed based on the Hsiung Feng-series anti-ship missile. Sources say it has a range of more than 300km, but no official figures have been released.

The military is also developing a cruise missile with a range of more than 500km.