Chinese army could have deployed DF-21 mobile-road ballistic missile in the northeastern region 1901.

The mountain range, which extends along the northeast Chinese provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning, provides an advantageous strategic position that can allow the PLA to dictate terms in the East China Sea. Launching the DF-21 from the Changbai Mountains, the PLA can control the La Perouse Strait — which divides the southern part of the Russian island of Sakhalin from the northern part of the Japanese island of Hokkaido — from the north, and the Tsushima Strait — which connects the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea — from the south.

Further, the Changbai Mountains also reportedly provides ample natural resources, advanced industrial development and convenient transport facilities, giving the region very strong military and economic potential.

The rationale behind deploying the DF-21 in the Changbai Mountains also extends to Taiwan. Taiwanese reports from last October said that the PLA has deployed the DF-21, dubbed by some as an "aircraft carrier killer," in the southeastern and northeastern parts of China as a deterrent against US intervention in the event of a conflict across the Taiwan Strait.

As far back as 2010 Canada's Kanwa Information Center estimated that the DF-21, China's first anti-ship ballistic missile, has a range of about 1,800 kilometers and has the ability to cover the majority of Japan's island military bases as well as the US naval base in Okinawa, Japan's southernmost island group.

US intelligence estimates that China may have around 50-100 missiles in the DF-21 series in its arsenal. CIA reports indicate that the DF-21 series has a range between 1,450 km and 2,150 km, though there is speculation that the missile may have a maximum range of up to 3,000 km.