Taiwan demands end to Chinese missile threats

(TibetanReview.net, Oct21, 2009) While professing to wish to resolve the Taiwan issue by peaceful means, China now has about 1,500 missiles pointed at the de facto independent country while continuing to build more short-range ballistic missiles and cruise missiles to add to it, reported the AFP Oct 19, citing a spokesman for the island's government.

"The number of missiles has been rising. We don't know when it will stop increasing," the spokesman was quoted as saying.

The comment came ahead of the Oct 20 release of Taiwan’s annual defence ministry report, which included an updated estimate of China's military capabilities. In its National Defence Report for 2008, Taiwan estimated that China had deployed 1,300 missiles in the area near the island, the report noted.

Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou has demanded that China remove or dismantle those missiles if a peace negotiation was to be held.  NTDTV.com Oct 19 quoted Ma as saying: "The number (of missiles) continues to go up. That is certainly a great concern for the people here. If we are to negotiate a peace agreement with the Mainland, certainly we expect them to do something about those missiles, either to remove them or dismantle them.”