China is preparing for possible invasion of Taiwan

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – China is preparing for a possible military invasion of Taiwan, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported Sunday. The Chinese government considers Taiwan to be a break-away part of China and is determined to bring it under Beijing’s control.

Tensions between Beijing and Taipei have heightened since 2016, when President Tsai Ing-when of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was elected president of Taiwan: Tsai Ing-wen rejects One-China ideology. Relations were stressed further this year as Taipei signed arms deals with the US, which included purchasing Patriot missiles and upgrading its F-16 Viper jets.

According to an SCMP military source, the Chinese government has deployed its most advanced hypersonic missile the DF-17 to China’s south-east coast. “The DF-17 hypersonic missile will gradually replace the old DF-11s and DF-15s that were deployed in the southeast region for decades,” the source said. “The new missile has a longer range and is able to hit targets more accurately.”

China has visibly flexed its muscles against Taiwan recently, by conducting military exercises around the island, SCMP reports. China carried out an invasion exercise last week and a series of air sorties that crossed the median line in the Taiwan Strait last month.

Retired Chinese major general Wang Zaixi told the Guancha.cn news site that these exercises were “unprecedented,” SCMP reports. Zaixi added: “Until today, the possibility of peaceful reunification was slim. The live-fire military exercises showed it is just one step away to actual combat.”

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