Taiwan's president underscores pledge to effective deterrence

Jiupeng, Taiwan: Taiwan's leader presided over an unusually public test-firing of 19 missiles yesterday, but almost a third missed their targets, raising new questions about the self-ruled island's readiness to defend itself against a Chinese attack.

President Ma Ying-jeou's attendance at the drills at a base in Taiwan's south was ostensibly to underscore his commitment to an effective Taiwanese deterrent, following criticism that the island's defence has been undermined by his policy of reconciling with the mainland.

Arms sale

However, one analyst suggested the public display was designed to persuade Washington to sell more advanced arms to Taiwan.

Mainland China and Taiwan split amid civil war in 1949, but Beijing still claims the island as its territory and has reserved the right to invade the democratic island of 23 million people if it moves to make its de facto independence permanent — something Ma opposes.

Six of the 19 surface-to-air and air-to-air missiles failed in drills that came after China's successful test flight last week of a next-generation J-20 stealth aircraft, a system expected to further widen its growing edge over Taiwan's own equipment-starved air force.

"I'm not satisfied with the results," Ma told reporters after the missile drills.

"I hope the military will find out the reasons and improve its training."

The missile tests were the first held in full view of the press for almost a decade. They were meant, Ma said, "to bring more transparency into military affairs and allow the public to view the military's readiness."