by Bill Gertz
The Chinese military has deployed a new advanced short-range missile known as the DF-12 that was revealed for the first time in photos posted on the Internet this week.
Disclosure of the missile follows publication of an Air Force National Space and Missile Intelligence Center (NASIC) report describing China as having the most aggressive ballistic missile development program in the world.
“China has the most active and diverse ballistic missile development program in the world,” the report said, highlighting 13 variants of short-range ballistic missiles, including five new short-range missiles systems.
Beijing currently has deployed between 1,000 and 1,200 missiles opposite Taiwan, the island nation set up after China’s civil war that Beijing has vowed to use force to reunite with the mainland.
The DF-12 missile was disclosed in a post on a Chinese website Tuesday.
