The navy is today to announce a series of shipbuilding projects, including the construction of six to eight new “main warships” equipped with the Aegis Combat System (ACS) to replace Kidd-class destroyers.
Taiwan’s version of ACS-equipped naval vessels would displace between 6,000 tonnes and 8,000 tonnes based on previously planned ACS-equipped ships.
In related news, the first Kaohsiung International Maritime and National Defense exhibition is to be held from Sept. 14 to Sept. 17 at the Kaohsiung Exhibition Center, with support from the Ministry of National Defense.
The Taiwan Shipbuilding Industry Association, the organizer of the exhibition, is to hold a promotional event in Taipei today for the event, at which representatives from the navy are to explain 12 shipbuilding projects, including amphibious transport docks, a troop transport ship, a submarine, a missile frigate and maritime equipment.
Association president Han Pi-hsiang (韓碧祥) said he was pleased about President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) initiative to build ships locally, which could result in annual production totaling NT$70 billion (US$2.16 billion).
He said the exhibition is aimed at creating a platform for companies with the best equipment and techniques to engage in exchanges and collaborations, while also helping potential buyers find what they need.
The association said that the event would not only cover national defense, but also machinery, maritime engineering, communications equipment and “green” energy.
The association said it has arranged for the navy to have several warships dock in Kaohsiung and accept visitors for the event.
POLITICAL AGENDA: Beijing’s cross-strait Mid-Autumn Festival events are part of a ‘cultural united front’ aimed at promoting unification with Taiwan, academics said Local authorities in China have been inviting Taiwanese to participate in cross-strait Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations centered around ideals of “family and nation,” a move Taiwanese academics said politicizes the holiday to promote the idea of “one family” across the Taiwan Strait. Sources said that China’s Fujian Provincial Government is organizing about 20 cross-strait-themed events in cities including Quanzhou, Nanping, Sanming and Zhangzhou. In Zhangzhou, a festival scheduled for Wednesday is to showcase Minnan-language songs and budaixi (布袋戲) glove puppetry to highlight cultural similarities between Taiwan and the region. Elsewhere, Jiangsu Province is hosting more than 10 similar celebrations in Taizhou, Changzhou, Suzhou,
The Republic of China (ROC) is celebrating its 114th Double Ten National Day today, featuring military parades and a variety of performances and speeches in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei. The Taiwan Taiko Association opened the celebrations with a 100-drummer performance, including young percussionists. As per tradition, an air force Mirage 2000 fighter jet flew over the Presidential Office as a part of the performance. The Honor Guards of the ROC and its marching band also heralded in a military parade. Students from Taichung's Shin Min High School then followed with a colorful performance using floral imagery to represent Taiwan's alternate name
COGNITIVE WARFARE: Chinese fishing boats transmitting fake identification signals are meant to test Taiwan’s responses to different kinds of perceived incursions, a report said Chinese vessels are transmitting fake signals in Taiwan’s waters as a form of cognitive warfare, testing Taipei’s responses to various types of incursions, a report by the Institute for the Study of War said on Friday. Several Chinese fishing vessels transmitted fake automatic identification system (AIS) signals in Taiwan’s waters last month, with one mimicking a Russian warship and another impersonating a Chinese law enforcement vessel, the report said. Citing data from Starboard Maritime Intelligence, the report said that throughout August and last month, the Chinese fishing boat Minshiyu 06718 (閩獅漁06718) sailed through the Taiwan Strait while intermittently transmitting its own AIS
CHINESE INFILTRATION: Medical logistics is a lifeline during wartime and the reported CCP links of a major logistics company present a national security threat, an expert said The government would bolster its security check system to prevent China from infiltrating the nation’s medical cold chain, a national security official said yesterday. The official, who wished to stay anonymous, made the remarks after the Chinese-language magazine Mirror Media (鏡周刊) reported that Pharma Logistics (嘉里醫藥物流) is in charge of the medical logistics of about half of the nation’s major hospitals, including National Taiwan University Hospital and Taipei Veterans General Hospital. The company’s parent, Kerry TJ Logistics Co (嘉里大榮物流), is associated with the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the
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