Taipei, Dec. 28 (CNA) The Ministry of National Defense (MND) said on Tuesday that mainland China's new missile base in Zhangzhou in its southeastern province of Fujian is not expected to pose a substantive threat to Taiwan's security.
Quoting military intelligence reports, MND spokesman Gen. Kung Fan-ding said mainland China will mainly deploy its indigenous Hungqi (Redflag) No. 2 surface-to-air missiles and Russian-made S-300 surface-to-air missiles at the new base.
According to Kung, the S-300 missile has a range of 90 km, while the mainland-made Hungqi No. 2 has a range of about 30 km.
The Washington Times reported on Dec. 22 that a US spy satellite had detected in late November that mainland China was constructing an air-defense missile base in Zhangzhou, which is located opposite Taiwan across the Taiwan Strait.
US intelligence officers further said the base is scheduled to be inaugurated in the coming spring. However, they added that they still could not ascertain which types of missiles will be deployed there.
Noting that Zhangzhou is one of mainland China's most important air bases, Kung said the mainland air force has long deployed J-8 jet fighters for reconnaissance missions at the Zhangzhou base. In recent years, Kung said, the mainland military has also deployed 24 fighter-bombers and six J-7 jet fighters at Zhangzhou.
Against this background, Kung said the MND has concluded that the main purpose of the new missile base is to better protect the existing Zhangzhou facilities. (By Sofia Wu)
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