China forces prepare for possible military invasion of Taiwan, deploy hypersonic missile

The Chinese armed forces are increasing its presence in the southeast coast of the country for a possible military invasion of Taiwan, according to the defense observers cited by the South China Morning Post.

Also read | Prepare for war, be absolutely loyal: Xi Jinping tells Chinese troops

The development comes after last week's comments of the Chinese President Xi Jinping, stating that China’s armed forces should strengthen training of troops and to be ready for war.

According to state news agency Xinhua, during an inspection of the People's Liberation Army Marine Corps in Chaozhou City, Xi told the soldiers to "maintain a state of high alert" and called on them to be "absolutely loyal, absolutely pure, and absolutely reliable."

According to the sources of the South China Morning Post, "The DF-17 hypersonic missile will gradually replace the old DF-11s and DF-15s that were deployed in the southeast region for decades,".

Beijing is replacing its old DF-11s and DF-15s and deploying its most advanced hypersonic missile DF-17 in the region.

"The new missile has a longer range and is able to hit targets more accurately."

Even though Taiwan has never been controlled by China's ruling party, Chinese authorities insist that the self-governing island is an integral part of their territory, with president Xi Jinping refusing to rule out a military force to capture it if necessary.

According to the Canada-based Kanwa Defence Review, satellite images show that both the Marine Corps and Rocket Force bases in Fujian and Guangdong have expanded.

"Every rocket force brigade in Fujian and Guangdong is now fully equipped," the report said.

"The size of some of the missile bases in the Eastern and Southern theatre commands have even doubled in recent years, showing the PLA is stepping up preparations for a war targeting Taiwan," the further stated.

The information regarding the possible deployment of hypersonic missile comes amid heightened tensions between China and the US, with issues pertaining to disagreements over Taiwan and the COVID-19 pandemic.

(With inputs from agencies)