President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday inaugurated a squadron of indigenous missile ships as he pledged to continue a military buildup to offset the military threat from China.
The fleet of 10 locally manufactured Kuang Hua VI-class missile ships joined the Taiwan Navy following a ceremony presided over by Ma at the naval base in Suao, Yilan County. The ships constitute the first Hai Chiao (“Sea Dragon”) squadron.
The fast patrol ships, which were researched, designed and built by the Taiwan Navy under the Kuang Liu project, are scheduled to replace Hai Ou-class fast attack patrol ships, which are variants of Israeli Dvora-class fast patrol ships.
Photo: AFP
Ma said that while tensions with China had eased significantly since he came to power in 2008, Taiwan needed a deterrent against Beijing.
“Unlike the Korean Peninsula, where tensions have been escalating, ties across the Taiwan Strait have improved significantly since I took office nearly three years ago,” he said. “However, China remains the biggest threat to Taiwan militarily, therefore we must not relax in pushing for a military buildup.”
Ma said that Taiwan’s “small but elite, small but strong, small but versatile” national defense capabilities used national resources with the utmost efficiency, adding that the new missile ships were a perfect example.
Despite warming ties, Beijing refuses to renounce the use of force if Taiwan declares independence.
Ma said Taiwan was unlikely to engage in an arms race with China, considering the vast difference in the size of the two economies.
“However, Taiwan can still operate a small but elite and strong defense force in line with the guidelines of asymmetric warfare,” under which the weaker side uses strategy to offset deficiencies in quantity or quality, he said.
The navy is building another 10 missile ships and is scheduled to take delivery before year’s end, which will bring to 30 the number in service.
Each of the 171 tonne vessels is armed with four Taiwan-made Hsiung Feng II (“Brave Wind”) surface-to-surface missiles.
The ships are intended to replace the aging 50-tonne Seagull-class missile ships, the navy said.
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