China's muscle flexing at a recent military parade did not help to create a positive image, a Taiwanese military spokesperson said yesterday.
"We do not think that holding a grand display of military equipment to intimidate neighboring countries is a good way to build a positive image," Sun Li-fang (孫立方), who heads the Ministry of National Defense's Administration Office, told a press event held to highlight some of the military's weapons systems to be displayed at the Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition.
The exhibition opens today at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center's Hall 1 and runs through Saturday.
Photo: Liao Chen-hui, Taipei Times
Sun was replying to a reporter's question about whether the Chiang Kung I air defense missile, which can reach an altitude of 70km and is one of the exhibition's highlights, could be used to intercept Chinese intercontinental ballistic missiles featured at the military parade.
China's parade was held on Sept. 3 at Tiananmen Square in Beijing to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
The ministry attaches a high level of importance to the military equipment unveiled at the parade and has conducted in-depth research into its capabilities and the threats it poses to Taiwan, Sun said.
"However, we must stress that neither the exhibition nor our pavilion is meant to give the impression that we want to engage in an arms race with China," Sun said.
A display of weapons does not necessarily reflect China's capabilities, as they are "two completely different things," he said.
Lee Shih-chiang (李世強), president of the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology, which is responsible for the Chiang Kung (強弓, “Strong Bow”) program, said there are several types of air defense missiles and lower-cost weapons designed to intercept Chinese missiles and other incoming targets at different altitudes, and the Chiang Kung I is only one of them.
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