It marked the first time China has openly sold missiles at the China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, the only airshow in the country and now in its fifth year, military commentators said.

"This is the first time the Chinese are displaying surface-to-surface missiles. Surface-to-surface missile technology is very sensitive in the international market," said Andrei Pinkov, who writes for Jane's Defense Weekly.

"China sold that kind of technology to Pakistan at the end of 1980s and the US opposed this," he told AFP.

"For a long time, China didn't display this kind of missile system but now they want to show the international society that they want to return to the missile market."

Pinkov said the exhibition showed China had the economic power to develop highly-advanced weapon systems.

"Russia has built a lot of things but they never complete them and when you ask them why, they always say they don't have the money to finish it. But you would never get that answer from China," he said.

"The exhibition shows they have the economic power."

The highlight of the exhibition held in Zhuhai city in southern China's Guangdong province was the B611, a short-range surface-to-surface missile weapon system with a range of 150 kilometers (about 95 miles).

Its showing would rattle leaders in Taiwan, he said.

Tensions between Taiwan and China have been growing since the re-election of President Chen Shui-bian from the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party earlier this year.

China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has threatened to invade the island should it formally declare independence.

"Missiles pose a big threat to Taiwan because there are 600 missiles aiming at them and the range of this missile system means that it can cover part of the outside islands of Taiwan and so I think Taiwan is more and more sensitive on this system," he said.

Another highlight of the exhibition was a new FLG-1S missile-gun integrated weapon system, for use in modern air combat.

The missile, developed by China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp, was primarily made for field air defence and can be used against low-flying helicopters, ground-attack aircraft, unmanned aircraft and sub-sonic cruise missiles.

The Chinese government-owned aerospace company was also displaying a range of short-range air defence missiles and surface-to-air missiles, as well as small civilian communications satellites.

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