Asia-Pacific

Taiwan: China has deployed missiles on South China Sea island

China has deployed surface-to-air missiles on an island in the Paracel chain in the South China Sea, the Taiwan government told CNN.

A statement released by the Taiwanese Defense Ministry says that it has first-hand intelligence that confirms the existence of missile batteries in the region, which is hotly disputed by China and its neighbors.

"The Taiwanese Defense Ministry has learned of China's deployment of surface-to-air missiles on the Woody Island in the Paracel Islands. The Republic of China military is closely monitoring further development of the situation," a statement from Taipei reads.