The procurement of 12 P-3C anti-submarine aircraft from the United States will meet the military's minimum combat demand and expand its undersea surveillance scope more than 10-fold, according to a report presented yesterday to the legislature by the Ministry of National Defense.
While seven of the planes are expected to be delivered to Taiwan in 2009, the other five will be delivered in 2011, the report says.
It says the ministry originally reserved NT$53.04 billion (US$1.7 billion) in a special budget proposal for the 12 aircraft, but the amount has recently been adjusted to NT$45.04 billion following changes in the exchange rate and cutbacks in spending and coverage of some of the amount by the government's regular budget.
It points out that the military's existing S-2T anti-submarine planes, which have been in service for more than 40 years, are no longer capable of meeting the military's combat demands and that the military needs to replace the planes to enhance its three-dimensional anti-submarine capabilities.
China has in recent years developed the Song-class submarine and nuclear-powered submarines and has also purchased Kilo-class submarines from Russia, the report notes.
In the event of a Chinese blockade of Taiwan, the nation's economy and security will be seriously jeopardized, it says.
Lin Chin-ching (林勤經), head of the ministry's Integrated Assessment Office, predicted that China will have the ability to build aircraft carriers in 2008 and to form an aircraft carrier battle group in 2015 to gain sea dominance in the Taiwan Strait.
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of
INDUSTRY: Beijing’s latest export measures go beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related tech, an academic said Taiwanese industries could face significant disruption from China’s newly tightened export controls on rare earth elements, as much of Taiwan’s supply indirectly depends on Chinese materials processed in Japan, a local expert said yesterday. Kristy Hsu (徐遵慈), director of the Taiwan ASEAN Studies Center at the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research, said that China’s latest export measures go far beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related technologies. With Japan and Southeast Asian countries among those expected to be hit, Taiwan could feel the impact through its reliance on Japanese-made semi-finished products and
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