Minister of National Defense Lee Jye (李傑) yesterday said that the ministry had sent a delegation of navy officers to the US to renegotiate terms for the nation's submarine purchase.
"Initially, we planned to spend NT$11.7 billion [US$355 million] for the submarines, but lawmakers complained that they were way too expensive. So we need to re-negotiate with the US representatives," Lee said.
Lee, accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs James Huang (
Both Lee and Huang said that even with the Democratic win, they believed that US policy would be consistent and that its stance on Taiwan's arms procurement would not change.
Lee said the delegation currently visiting the US will return shortly with more information on the US policy on selling arms to Taiwan.
Lee said that while the budget for P-3C maritime aircraft has been approved, the budget for one Patriot Advanced Capacity?3 missile system has been frozen and NT$4.1 billion have been removed from the budget for eight diesel submarines.
"It is still looking good. Everything is still under control. We still have a chance of having them approve [the budget] before the end of this legislative session," Lee said.
In addition to the long-pending arms procurement proposal, Lee said that the nation's plan to purchase F-16C/D jetfighters was almost a done deal.
US representatives have promised that the approval of the arms procurement proposal would facilitate the procurement of jet fighters, Lee said.
It was the first time that Lee confirmed procurement plans for the F-16C/Ds.
Lee said his ministry would continue its communication and cooperation with its counterparts in the US and Japan, and more retired military personnel from these two countries would be invited to visit Taiwan's annual Hankuang Military Exercise.
Additional reporting by CNA
The first of 10 new high-capacity trains purchased from South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem arrived at the Port of Taipei yesterday to meet the demands of an expanding metro network, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said yesterday. The train completed a three-day, 1,200km voyage from the Port of Masan in South Korea, the company said. Costing NT$590 million (US$18.79 million) each, the new six-carriage trains feature a redesigned interior based on "human-centric" transportation concepts, TRTC said. The design utilizes continuous longitudinal seating to widen the aisles and optimize passenger flow, while also upgrading passenger information displays and driving control systems for a more comfortable
Instead of focusing solely on the threat of a full-scale military invasion, the US and its allies must prepare for a potential Chinese “quarantine” of Taiwan enforced through customs inspections, Stanford University Hoover fellow Eyck Freymann said in a Foreign Affairs article published on Wednesday. China could use various “gray zone” tactics in “reconfiguring the regional and ultimately the global economic order without a war,” said Freymann, who is also a nonresident research fellow at the US Naval War College. China might seize control of Taiwan’s links to the outside world by requiring all flights and ships entering or leaving Taiwan
Taiwan's first indigenous defense submarine, the SS-711 Hai Kun (海鯤, or Narwhal), departed for its 13th sea trial at 7am today, marking its seventh submerged test, with delivery to the navy scheduled for July. The outing also marked its first sea deployment since President William Lai (賴清德) boarded the submarine for an inspection on March 19, drawing a crowd of military enthusiasts who gathered to show support. The submarine this morning departed port accompanied by CSBC Corp’s Endeavor Manta (奮進魔鬼魚號) uncrewed surface vessel and a navy M109 assault boat. Amid public interest in key milestones such as torpedo-launching operations and overnight submerged trials,
Quarantine awareness posters at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport have gone viral for their use of wordplay. Issued by the airport branch of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency, the posters feature sniffer dogs making a range of facial expressions, paired with advisory messages built around homophones. “We update the messages for holidays and campaign needs, periodically refreshing materials to attract people’s attention,” quarantine officials said. “The aim is to use the dogs’ appeal to draw focus to quarantine regulations.” A Japanese traveler visiting Taiwan has posted a photo on X of a poster showing a quarantine dog with a
RSS