The Ministry of National Defense said yesterday that purchasing submarines from the US remained a priority for the military, amid reports by local media that Taiwan was positioning itself to manufacture its own vessels.
“We have yet to hear anything about the ‘policy’ that was reported [in the media]. For the moment, buying new submarines from the US is our policy,” ministry spokeswoman Major-General Lisa Chi (池玉蘭) said.
Chi’s remarks were in response to a report in yesterday’s Chinese-language United Daily News that said the Cabinet had requested that the ministry re-evaluate the possibility of Taiwan building its own submarines rather than waiting for US government approval for the procurement of eight diesel submarines, to be sold at a total cost of NT$410 billion (US$14 billion).
Chi said the ministry never received notification that the US government would cancel its arms sales to Taiwan or put them on hold, adding that purchasing major weapons from the US remained the military’s policy.
“The government has taken a number of approaches to convince the US government to speed up the procurement process. This has not changed,” Chi said.
In its report, the paper said the ministry had commissioned a German consultant to evaluate the possibility of Taiwan building its own vessels, adding that the ministry had performed a similar evaluation four years ago.
The main task of the exercise, the paper said, was to compare the cost of building a submarine domestically with the US government’s price tag.
FUKUOKA SITUATION: Japanese media reported that the pathogen is expected to be identified by the summer, while the CDC downplayed the idea that it was hMPV A “mysterious cold-like illness” reported in Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture does not seem to be a new disease, but Japanese authorities have been asked about the situation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The Fukuoka Prefectural Medical Association on Wednesday told a news conference that a “mystery cold” that has become a hot topic on social media is “highly likely to be caused by some kind of viral infection,” Japan’s KBC News reported. “Many people are experiencing symptoms starting with a sore throat, followed by a runny nose, phlegm and a severe cough,” KBC News reported, citing association officials. Health authorities are
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) arrived in Taiwan yesterday ahead of upcoming AI and technology events, saying he plans to meet with clients and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) during his visit. After landing at Taipei Songshan Airport, Huang posed for photos with fans and handed out Yakult drinks to reporters and supporters waiting at the scene, saying he has “a lot to do” during the trip. Asked about reports that Nvidia’s planned headquarters site in Taipei’s Beitou Shilin Technology Park could break ground on May 27, Huang said that if the company holds an event, he would
Carrefour Taiwan is to begin using a new name from the start of July, but it cannot divulge the name until then, the chairman of the supermarket chain's parent company said today. President Chain Store Co chairman Lo Chih-hsien (羅智先) was asked by reporters after a shareholders' meeting to confirm whether the company has settled on a new name for the supermarket brand. In March, the government-registered name of two Carrefour Taiwan branches was quietly changed to "Le Chia Kang" (樂家康) in Chinese, raising speculation that has been selected as the name. Lo said that because of local regulations and contractual obligations, the
The Philippines would likely be involved in any conflict over Taiwan due to its proximity to the democracy claimed by China, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said, reiterating a stance that risks angering Beijing. “In the Philippines, we do not have a choice because Taiwan is so close to the Philippines and we have almost 200,000 Filipino nationals living and working in Taiwan,” Marcos said in an interview with Japanese media in Manila on Monday. The Philippine leader’s comments come ahead of a state visit to Japan next week, where he is to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to discuss security
RSS