Taiwan opposes China missile build-up

Taiwan says the build-up of at least 1,000 missiles by China aimed at the island goes against an agreement between the two sides to create mutual confidence.

In white papers released Tuesday, Taiwan's Defense Ministry warned that Taipei and Beijing cannot establish trust between their militaries as long as China does not remove the short-range and mid-range missiles from its coastal military bases.

The defense report says that China had 'continued its arms build-up to the point that it has tipped the military balance in the Taiwan Strait', the AFP news agency reported.

Taiwan officials say from 1,000 to 1,500 missiles are deployed to hit the island that lies just 160 kilometers away at the closest point.

China, which sees Taiwan as part of its territory, has not yet reacted to the Taiwanese documents.

China has claimed sovereignty over Taiwan since 1949, when the forces of Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalists (KMT) lost the Chinese civil war against Communists and Mao Zedong swept to power.

Beijing still considers Taiwan as an integral part of China and has pledged to bring the island back under its rule, keeping Taiwan's forces on alert for 60 years.

China-friendly Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou has been bucking the trend of his predecessors by trying to develop closer ties with China.

In an interview on Monday, Ma urged China to scrap the growing number of missiles aimed at Taiwan, warning that the establishment of the new missiles could threaten trade ties.