Although the US has approved the marketing license required for US manufacturers to sell Taiwan the technology needed to build domestic submarines, the move could prove largely symbolic if the nation lacks the ability to undertake system integration, parts assembly and testing, experts said yesterday.
The US Department of State’s approval of the marketing license is a major breakthrough for Taiwan’s goal of developing its own submarines, the Ministry of National Defense said on Saturday, while expressing gratitude to the US government for helping Taiwan upgrade its self-defense capabilities.
The Presidential Office and the ministry thanked the US for its commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA), which requires the US to provide Taiwan with arms and services of a defensive nature.
Although the US has continuously insisted on a peaceful settlement of cross-strait differences based on the TRA, China’s frequent military maneuvers near Taiwan have prompted Washington to take measures to ensure Taipei can maintain a credible defense through either business sales or technology transfers, National Chengchi University Institute of International Relations director Arthur Ding (丁樹範) said.
US technology transfers to Taiwan have often been limited to those of a defensive nature, with front-end technologies excluded, Ding said.
In contrast, the granting of the marketing license could be interpreted as US support for Taiwan to build domestic submarines, Ding said.
However, under this sales model, Taiwan has to manage and control downstream supply chain operations, such as system integration, he said, adding that if the government really wants to develop an indigenous defense industry, it needs clearer policies regarding budget allocation and investment.
The marketing license could indeed facilitate the building of domestic submarines, but there could still be a long way to go, because the US might not supply all the technology or equipment needed for the submarine project, such as weapons, sonar and underwater communication systems, Asia-Pacific Defense magazine editor-in-chief Kevin Cheng (鄭繼文) said.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) today said that if South Korea does not reply appropriately to its request to correct Taiwan’s name on its e-Arrival card system before March 31, it would take corresponding measures to alter how South Korea is labeled on the online Taiwan Arrival Card system. South Korea’s e-Arrival card system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in the “point of departure” and “next destination” fields. The ministry said that it changed the nationality for South Koreans on Taiwan’s Alien Resident Certificates from “Korea” to “South Korea” on March 1, in a gesture of goodwill and based on the
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