U.S. said ready to supply Taiwan with advanced missiles

TOKYO -- Taiwan, alarmed by a Chinese military buildup, is calling on the United States for long-range missiles. Military sources said the Clinton administration is close to fulfilling Taiwan's longtime wish for AIM-120 advanced air-to-air missiles.

"To make a foe afraid to attack Taiwan, we definitely must develop a reliable deterrent force, and strengthen our second strike capability," Taiwanese Vice President Lien Chan told a defense conference. "That includes developing the potential force of a long-range, surface-to-surface missile."

Lien is expected to succeed President Lee Teng-hui in March elections.

Later, Taiwanese Defense Minister Tang Fei said the military would "immediately look into the matter" but said Taiwan needed foreign help to develop long-range missiles. In 1992, Taiwan bought 150 F-16s from the United States.

The Washington Times reported this week that the United States has discovered a second Chinese short-range missile base under construction near Taiwan that will significantly increase the threat against the island. The newspaper said the Defense Intelligence Agency detected the virtual completion of the Xianyou base, which will contain a brigade-size force of short-range missiles.

The Xianyou missile complex is closer to the Chinese coast than the first site at Yongan and 220 kilometers [135 miles] from Taiwan. On Nov. 23, the Times reported the disclosure of the first Chinese missile base near Taiwan. China said the base is part of Beijing's defensive posture.

Each of the two missile bases will contain 16 truck launchers and 97 CSS-7 mobile missiles with a range of 500 kilometers [300 miles]. The intelligence report said the Chinese are building tunnels to store the missiles.

The newspaper on Wednesday quoted a defense report that China will now be able to "target all of Taiwan's major military bases." A U.S. official said China is working toward the deployment of 500 short-range missiles by 2005.

"They will be able to take Taiwan with little or no warning,'' a U.S. official was quoted by the Times.

Later on Wednesday, President Bill Clinton acknowledged tension between China and Taiwan. He said the United States supports a one China policy that is achieved through peaceful negotiations.