The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) presence is increasing on China’s southeast coast as it prepares for a possible military invasion of Taiwan, according to defense observers quoted by the South China Morning Post.
According to sources, Beijing is replacing its old DF-11 and DF-15 and deploying its most advanced DF-17 hypersonic missile in the region.
“The DF-17 hypersonic missile will gradually replace the old DF-11 and DF-15 that were deployed in the southeast region for decades,” remarked the anonymous source cited by SCMP.
“The new missile has a longer range and can hit targets with greater precision.”
Although Taiwan has never been controlled by China’s ruling party, Chinese authorities insist that the autonomous island is an integral part of their territory, and President Xi Jinping refuses to rule out a military force to capture it if necessary.
According to Canada-based Kanwa Defense Review, satellite images show that both the Marine Corps and the Rocket Force bases in Fujian and Guangdong have expanded.
“All the rocket brigades in Fujian and Guangdong are now fully equipped,” the report says.
“The size of some of the missile bases in the eastern and southern theater commands has even doubled in recent years, showing that the PLA is stepping up preparations for a war against Taiwan,” he further stated.
The information on the possible deployment of hypersonic missiles comes amid heightened tension between China and the United States, with issues related to disagreements over Taiwan and the Covid-19 pandemic.
On Tuesday, the Chinese president, during a visit to a military base in southern Guangdong province, had instructed troops to “focus their minds and energies on preparing for war,” according to the Xinhua news agency.
During an inspection by the PLA Marine Corps in Chaozhou City, Xinhua said that Xi told the soldiers to “be on high alert” and asked them to be “absolutely loyal, absolutely pure and absolutely trustworthy.”
China in recent years has also increased military exercises around Taiwan, with nearly 40 Chinese fighter jets crossing the median line between the mainland and Taiwan from September 18 to 19, one of several exits that the island’s president, Tsai Ing-wen, called a “threat of force.” .
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