Taiwan’s Defense Minister and Deputy Director of Taiwan’s main defense research institute was quoted by Diplomat (March 26) as telling reporters this week that Taiwan had begun mass producing a new long-range ground-launched missile to bolster its defenses against mainland China. He offered few details about the weapon but said that three other advanced new missile designs were also under development. Taiwan’s air force took delivery of a new, longer-ranged version of its Hsiung Feng II (HF-IIE) cruise missile earlier this year. The new HF-IIE is believed to have a range of 1,200 kilometres, which would allow Taiwanese forces to hit targets deep in China’s mainland to counter an attack across the strait.

(Comment: Tension have been mounting across the Strait amidst reports that China's armed forces may attempt a military reunification of Taiwan within the next few years.)