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Paper says PRC plans missile upgrade

China plans to equip missiles with infrared technology to give them the ability to hit US warships in Asia, a Japanese newspaper said yesterday.

The upgrade is part of preparations for a potential conflict over Taiwan, the Sankei Shimbun said.

Citing unnamed military sources in Japan and Taiwan, the newspaper said that China was developing an infrared detection system for its medium-range Dongfeng-21 missiles so they can pinpoint warships.

The upgraded Dongfeng would discourage the US or Japan from sending in warships equipped with the AEGIS technology designed to shoot down incoming missiles, the newspaper said.

The Dongfeng-21 has a range of some 2,150km. The Sankei Shimbun estimated that around 100 have been deployed.

Western analysts have also speculated that China is developing a next-generation, long-range Dongfeng-41 capable of hitting the US mainland.

The US and Japan, in a first-of-a-kind statement in February 2005, declared that a peaceful resolution of Taiwan Strait issues was a common strategic objective of the Pacific allies.
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