Taiwan has installed domestically developed Thunderbolt-2000 rocket launchers on its outlying islands, with a range covering the neighboring Chinese province of Fujian, the Liberty Times local newspaper reported Friday.

The move comes as the self-governed island seeks to strengthen its weapons development capabilities in response to increasing intimidation from Beijing.

The Ministry of National Defense had submitted written briefings to lawmakers outlining its ambitions to improve the long-range effectiveness of the Thunderbolt-2000 multiple rocket launcher system, the paper cited military sources as saying.

The upgraded Thunderbolt-2000 now has more than double its previous maximum range and is capable of striking targets more than 100 kilometers (62 miles) away, the sources said.

If true, that means major cities in Fujian — including Quanzhou and Zhangzhou, which are 52 and 70 kilometers, respectively, from the outlying island of Kinmen — will fall within the range.

Thunderbolt-2000 is a wheeled multi-launch rocket system developed by the state-owned National Chung-Shan Institute of Science & Technology, which specializes in developing and manufacturing weapons systems and dual-use technologies.

The system has now been deployed on the islands of Kinmen, Matsu and Penghu, the paper said. The system has only been tested in live-fire drills on Taiwan’s main island and Penghu.

Meanwhile, Taiwan has continued to buy military equipment from the United States in the face of Beijing’s aggression.

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