Taiwan warns China it has a missile capable of striking Beijing

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Taiwanese officials are warning China to think twice before attacking the island nation, claiming that Taiwan has missile capabilities to strike Beijing. 

In a recent interview with Taiwanese media, You Si Kun, President of Taiwan’s Legislative Assembly, said his country wouldn’t shy away from using its Yun Feng supersonic cruise missiles should China invade. 

Taiwanese naval officers on a military vessel during a Readiness Enhancement Drill, amid escalating Taiwan-China tensions, in Taiwan, January 2022. (Ceng Shou Yi/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

"Yung Fend missiles can already hit Beijing, and Taiwan has the ability to attack Beijing," You said, according to Liberty Times Net. 

Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense has allocated more funds in recent years to bolstering the capabilities of Yung Feng missiles to strike deeper in China, writes The War Zone. Its newer variant is reported to have an extended range of 1,200 miles, meaning it could, in theory, successfully strike Beijing, which is roughly 1,150 miles from Taiwan. 

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You invoked Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, noting that the people’s will to fight is stronger than any missile capabilities. 

"The [Chinese Community Party] must cross the Taiwan Strait to attack Taiwan, which is different from Russia’s attack on Ukraine," You said. "If you want to land, you will fight on the beachhead. If the landing is successful, everyone in Taiwan must be as determined to die as Ukraine. Go out and never let China swallow Taiwan." 

FILE: In this undated file photo released by the Taiwan Ministry of Defense, a Chinese PLA J-16 fighter jet flies in an undisclosed location (Taiwan Ministry of Defense via AP)

Taiwan and China split during a civil war in 1949, but China claims the island as its own territory and has not ruled out using military force to take it.

China has stepped up its military provocations against democratic Taiwan in recent years, aimed at intimidating it into accepting Beijing's demands to unify with the communist mainland.

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The 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, which has governed U.S. relations with the island, does not require the U.S. to step in militarily if China invades, but makes it American policy to ensure Taiwan has the resources to defend itself and to prevent any unilateral change of status by Beijing.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.