Defense ministry says navy needs Kidds for combat

A Ministry of National Defense (MND) spokesman said yesterday that an early acquisition of Kidd-class destroyers will help meet the Navy's needs to beef up its combat capabilities.

Major General Huang Suey-sheng (黃穗生) stressed at a news conference the navy's need to buy the four Kidd-class destroyers that the US has promised to sell to Taiwan, at a time when China's military prowess is increasingly outpacing Taiwan's.

With advanced missiles, superior air defenses, anti-submarine and battlefield management capabilities, the Kidd-class destroyers, with a 8,998-tonne displacement, will greatly beef up Taiwan's anti-submarine and combined service combat capabilities, Huang noted.

Huang stressed, however, that the navy's long-term pursuit of US-made Arleigh Burke-class destroyers remains unchanged in light of China's military buildup and Navy's long-term preparedness needs.

On Thursday, DPP lawmakers forced, and won, a vote in the legislature's National Defense Committee on the navy's 2003 budget to buy four Kidd-class destroyers from the US.

The development reversed the result of a joint meeting of the defense and budget committees on Wednesday, which concluded that the Kidds' budget should be decided by vote on the floor of the legislature.

Meanwhile, Rear Admiral Yeh Chu (葉巨), deputy chief of staff of the Navy General Headquarters, said at the news conference that the intrusion of China's research ship, the Xiangyanghong No. 14, into ROC territorial waters Nov. 3 was unacceptable.

In addition to chasing the research vessel away, Taiwan also lodged a protest with Beijing through the intermediary body of the Straits Exchange Foundation and asked that similar intrusions do not happen again, Yeh said.

The Xiangyanghong No. 14, which belongs to China's State Oceanic Administration, was spotted in waters within the 22-km limit off Orchid Island at around 10:30am Sunday.

After being informed by fishermen operating near Orchid Island, coast guard authorities joined the navy in monitoring the vessel and later chased it away.

The Chinese vessel was not armed but was equipped with various antennas. Coast guard authorities said they suspect that the ship has repeatedly navigated close to Orchid Island not only to conduct oceanic research but also to intercept Taiwan's communications.

It was the third time that the Xiangyanghong No. 14 has been spotted within Taiwan's territorial waters.