Taiwan says their missiles can reach mainland China

WASHINGTON — Taiwan has publicly claimed it's capable of launching missiles that will hit mainland China, confirmed Minister of National Defense Feng Shih-kuan when asked by a lawmaker.

"It is the first time the ministry has confirmed this," lawmaker Wang Ting-yu told AFP, adding that Taiwanese missiles may be able to travel more than 1,500 kilometers.

In the four-yearly report to parliament Shih-kuan delivered, there was also a pledge to create an enhanced military to protect Taiwan.

Currently, China sees Taiwan as a renegade province, and Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense says China has more than 1,500 missiles aimed at the island nation.

"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," the report says.

Ties have worsened since Beijing-skeptic Tsai Ing-wen became president, bringing an end to an eight-year rapprochement, AFP reported.

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