For the first time ever, Taiwan has publicly acknowledged the existence of the medium range Yunfeng cruise missile, 'Cloud Peak', which can reach targets between 1,200-1,500 km. Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng spoke about the missile at a joint meeting of the foreign, defence and the finance committees.
The medium-range surface-to-surface missile is believed to have been under development since the 1990s but there was no disclosure or acknowledgement about the programme.
According to Taiwanese media, the minister said that developers are still working on the missile but did not share further details.
Media reports have earlier speculated that the missile would eventually reach targets between 1,200 and 1,500 km from Taiwan–making the missle a deterrent for China. Local media had speculated last year that the missile was tested in April 2020 but the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology refused to comment on the issue.
Taipei Times quotes Su Tzu-yun, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, as saying that the missile is capable of hitting strategic targets such as airports, harbors and command centers in inland China. He added that the Yun Feng missile is a key part of Taiwan’s asymmetric warfare plan to erode China’s combat capabilities.
Taiwan has been witnessing increased incursions by the Chinese air force into its air defence identification zone (ADIZ) forcing the island nation to scramble its air force earlier this week. In just four days between Friday and Monday, 145 Chinese air force planes flew into Taiwan's ADIZ in blatant violation of its sovereignty.
By doing so China is not just intimidating Taiwan but is also testing the waters. It is also building up pressure on the US, Japan and other allies who have sent their battleships in waters close to China in a bid to deter Beijing against a possible invasion of Taiwan.
With regional tensions on the rise, Washington and Tokyo have asked Beijing to keep off Taiwan and hold peace talks to resolve issues.
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