Plans for a display of long-range sea power have been scaled back because of high oil prices and persistent concerns of fallout from Japan’s nuclear disaster, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday.
In a statement, the ministry said the two factors had led to changes in a navy “friendship tour” exercise involving a flotilla of three ships that quietly set off on March 19.
However, it denied that the decision to scale back the scope of the tour — with visits to Taiwan’s allies in South America dropped from the itinerary — had anything to do with interference from Beijing and said that more long-distance visits were being planned.
“There were no signs of pressure or interference from China,” the ministry said. “Along with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the military will continue coordinating with allies to plan more long--distance visits.”
In a report yesterday, the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper), said the military had originally hoped a flotilla could complete a round-the-world visit, modeled after Taiwan’s first in 2005, to mark the Republic of China’s 100th anniversary.
Those plans, the report cited military sources as saying, were cut back because of budgetary pressure and concerns over Chinese interference.
It was decided that the ships would make a “simpler” visit to Taiwan’s allies in South America and the south Pacific. However, following the nuclear disaster in Japan in the wake of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, those plans were again revised, the newspaper said.
“Following repeated interference from China, the possibility of the Navy repeating a round-the-world friendship tour was next to nothing,” the paper said.
In the past decade, Taiwan has conducted four maritime “friendship tours” to allies in South America. The breakthrough came in 2005 when, at then-president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) insistence, Taiwanese navy ships circumnavigated the world for the first time.
The military has refused to disclose which countries the current “friendship” tour would visit, but the flotilla is expected back in Taiwan in the middle of next month.
The three ships include a Cheng Kung-class frigate, a Lafayette-class frigate and a refueling tanker.
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