China army gets new N-capable medium-range ballistic missile

The Dongfeng-26 has been commissioned into the PLA Rocket Force, China's Defence Ministry spokesman Wu Qian said at a media briefing here.

The missile was completely developed by the Chinese and will serve for nuclear strikes in short notice and conventional precision strikes against targets on land and large- and medium-sized warships, Wu said.

"China has not changed its defensive nuclear strategy nor the policy of no-first-use of nuclear weapons," he said.

While there is no official announcement about the range of the missile, defence experts say it is capable of hitting US military installations on Guam, the largest and southernmost of the Mariana Islands.

China has a range of missiles which can be fired at short notice. The Dongfeng-21D land-based anti-ship ballistic missile described as a "carrier killer" and the Dongfeng-16G conventional missile designed for precision strikes against key enemy targets can be fired at short notice.

Meanwhile, China flew bombers and fighter jets around Taiwan on Thursday, officials said, in a new show of force that the defence ministry said was directed at "independence forces" on the self-ruled island.

H-6K bombers, early warning aircraft, reconnaissance planes and several types of fighter jets took off from multiple airports for "combat drills", the air force said in a statement on its official microblog.

The planes flew over Bashi Strait, south of Taiwan and the Miyako Strait, near Japan's Okinawa Island, it said.

The air force said its H-6K bombers have completed several drills that involved circling Taiwan since April 18 "to strengthen its capacity to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity".