The Taiwanese military has already developed land-to-air missiles poised for attacking mainland China. (Photo : Getty Images)
China has 1,500 missiles aimed at Taiwan and is ready to fire when forced to do so.
According to Defense Minister Feng Shih-kuan in an address to the legislature's Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, the missiles are positioned to strike Taiwan.
The DF-16 missiles can be countered by Taiwan because the country "has adequate weaponry to shoot it down outside its borders."
These highly accurate weapons were developed by the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp. and have a mid-range of 620 miles.
The People's Liberation Army has trained for the launch during the Spring Festival.
The defense minister said that the Taiwanese military has the capability of striking targets on the mainland. The DF-16 will make the PLA able to counter such attacks.
A report was prepared by the defense ministry, stating: "Should the enemy insist on invading, we will weaken their capabilities by striking enemy troops at their home bases, fighting them at sea, crushing them as they approach the coastlines and wiping them out on the beaches."
Experts believe that China is preparing to go to war against Taiwan and not with other countries that are asserting territorial rights in the South China Sea.
Professor Greg Austin, a leading expert on China and regional security for the University of New South Wales, said, "The issue of Taiwan remains the biggest risk to maintaining peace and security in the region."
"Nothing matters to Beijing more than preventing the separation of Taiwan away from the mainland," he added.
Austin said that Beijing treats the one-China policy very seriously and treats it as an issue of national unity and is not open for negotiation.
"The Chinese government will use force if it believes the Taiwanese government is moving firmly away from the One China Position," he said.
This is affirmed by Premier Li Keqiang, who said that the Communist Party will not back down from defending the one-China policy.
