Thursday, July 6 2006 12:17 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Taipei: Taiwan has secretly developed a missile which can hit China's south-east coast, a Taiwanese online newspaper said Thursday.

The ETtoday, quoting an unnamed military source, said the military Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology has secretly developed the Hsiung Feng III (Brave Wind III), which has a range of 600 km and a precision to within less than one metre.

China's coastal provinces like Guangdong and Fujian are within its range, the online paper said. The Taiwan military plans to test-fire Hsiung Feng III in September in a ceremony attended by President Chen Shui-bian, it said.

If true, the development is likely to spark worries from the US, and other countries in the region, that the missile could raise tension in the Taiwan Strait. The US has already expressed its concern over the missile development to Taipei, the online paper said. ETtoday said that after having developed missiles that can strike China, Taiwan's next aim is to develop an anti-missile system to intercept missiles fired by China. Taiwan and China are separated by the 120 km-wide Taiwan Strait. China sees Taiwan as a breakaway province and has vowed to reclaim Taiwan by force if Taipei decides to seek full independence.