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In order to show off its missile capabilities, the Taiwan military recently invited media reporters to enter the Jiupeng Missile Launch Base in Pingtung to observe the annual missile firing drill.According to Taiwanese media, a variety of high-security missiles participated in the shooting exercise, and Taiwan’s Defense Department Director Gu Lixiong watched it “on site” for the first time.

As a comprehensive testing, assembly and development base for Taiwan's various missile and rocket weapon systems, the Taiwan military once boasted that the Jiupeng Base is "the largest missile base in Asia" and "the only place where Taiwan secretly develops tactical surface-to-surface missiles with strategic attack capabilities."This mysterious institution was open to media interviews again after more than a decade since 2012. Media reporters were required to sign a guarantee before entering, and the curtains were also drawn after the buses they took entered the Jiupeng base.

A Patriot II missile was launched during a drill

Media reporters visited the live-fire launches of the U.S.-made Patriot II and the island's domestically-made Sky Bow III air defense missiles.According to Taiwanese media, the Taiwan military also secretly launched a "Hsiung Feng-2E" cruise missile "before dawn."The missile has always been regarded as a "trump card" weapon by the Taiwan military. It is said that "it has a range of up to 1,200 kilometers and can strike as far as the hinterland of mainland China." It has been in service for more than ten years and has always been kept highly confidential. Only a relatively blurry photo was "accidentally" taken during a night test launch in August last year.

In addition to public performances for everyone to see, there are alsoTwo cases of "official leaks" related to missiles have attracted public attention.

First, Taiwanese media accidentally discovered the latest news about the Sky Bow IV missile.Taiwan's "United News Network" found in the "List of Controlled Military Goods" published by Taiwan's defense department that the applicable equipment has the words "TK4 box group missile" written on it, and the box group size data is 7.64×1.1×1.1 meters. The size of the launch box is obviously larger than the "Sky Bow III" missile currently in service in the Taiwan military. The report believes that "TK4" is the "Sky Bow IV" missile known as the "Taiwan version of THAAD". Some Taiwanese military personnel claimed that the missile has the ability to intercept the PLA's Dongfeng-17 hypersonic ballistic missile, and it is rumored that it will also be tested at the Jiupeng base in the near future.

The Sky Bow III surface-to-air missile launched during the exercise

Second, the "New New Quarterly" published by the "National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology" under the Taiwan Defense Department published relevant pictures of the "Sky Project Office" within the agency conducting missile development.Suspected to be a "missile body being processed", the "Xinxin Monthly", also published by the unit, published another photo of the planned indoor 18-25 ton "heavy missile assembly platform". Taiwanese media said that this was the first exposure of the "Qingtian II" missile, which is a medium-range ballistic missile with an estimated range of more than 2,000 kilometers, comparable to the PLA's "Dongfeng" missile, which means that the Taiwan military will "have the ability to directly attack Beijing, Chongqing and other places, posing a greater threat to the mainland."

Processing screen of "Suspected ballistic missile body"

On the one hand, they invited the media to hype up the missile's combat capability, while on the other hand, they secretly released information about so-called "top secret weapons."Anyone with a discerning eye can see that the Taiwan military is trying to create the illusion of being "tit-for-tat" with the People's Liberation Army, boasting about its ability to engage in armed confrontation with the mainland, and selling the "reassurance" of "resisting unification by force" and "seeking independence by force" to the people on the island, in order to "blow the whistle and give courage" to itself and the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces.

Bi Dianlong, a current affairs commentator on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, believes thatThe DPP authorities' display of missile capabilities is not only to show the people on the island its ability to deal with the deterioration of cross-strait tensions, but also to "show the United States and its allies its resistance capabilities through exercises."In order to win more support and gain greater strategic value as an international chess piece". Recently, news came out that the Ukrainian army raided Russia's Kursk Oblast, and even some American politicians published articles claiming that "Taiwan can follow Ukraine's example and launch a surprise attack on the mainland." In response to this, some netizens really shouted "I'm afraid you don't have the courage!"

“Heavy Missile Assembly Platform” rendering

Is the "exaggeration" too much? Does the Taiwan military have the ability to "counterattack the mainland"? Mainland military observer Zhang Xuefeng believes that Taiwan Island is small in size and lacks depth. Once a conflict occurs between the two sides, in the early stages of the conflict, missiles such as the "King Kong II" will face joint firepower strikes from the People's Liberation Army and will find it difficult to escape; even if they can be launched, they will all be intercepted and will not be able to play their intended role at all. Some netizens on the island said,"Taiwan is a tiny country. If it provokes the mainland with force, the mainland will inevitably retaliate, and Taiwan will not be able to bear it at all!"

It is ridiculous for an ant to try to shake a tree. The DPP authorities want to "use force to seek independence" with a few so-called "secret weapons". This is simply a fantasy and a foolish dream! As Defense Minister Dong Jun pointed out when he attended the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore in early June,The mainland is fully prepared for any extreme scenarios and situations of "Taiwan independence" and is also capable of dealing with the "Taiwan independence" armed forces. It is like catching a turtle in a jar, which is not worth mentioning.

Source: Voice of the Strait