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China building missile bases opposite Taiwan

WASHINGTON: China is building two surface-to-air missile bases near the coastal city of Fuzhou, opposite Taiwan, part of an ongoing military buildup that worries U.S. officials, the Washington Times reported on Tuesday.

The newspaper quoted unnamed U.S. intelligence officials as saying that the new bases would increase the danger of a military confrontation along the Taiwan Strait. They said the U.S. Defence Department was monitoring the buildup closely.

China has long threatened invasion of the island, which it considers a renegade province.

The Times quoted the U.S. officials as saying that China would also deploy additional Russian-made S-300 missiles near the coastal cities of Xiamen and Shantou in the next weeks.

Taiwan's military last week said it had seen "absolutely nothing" to suggest large-scale movements by Chinese armed forces following the island's presidential elections this month, and the Chinese military was holding routine training missions only.

Media in Taiwan and Hong Kong have been playing up reports of unusual movements on the mainland by troops and military aircraft.

U.S. National Security Adviser Sandy Berger is due to visit China this week for talks on security issues including Taiwan, where Chen Shui-bian's pro-independence party won the March 18 presidential contest, U.S. officials said on Monday.

The victory of Chen's Democratic Progressive Party, which espouses independence from China, sparked fears of worsening tensions with Beijing.-Reuters