The latest domestically designed and built 600-tonne class Coast Guard Administration (CGA) vessel, the Yong Kang (永康艦), was yesterday formally launched by Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) in Kaohsiung as part of efforts to beef up the nation’s coastal patrol capabilities amid rising tensions with China.
The government has pledged to spend US$1.31 billion in building 141 ships of six different types for the CGA between 2018 and 2027, Hsiao said during the ceremony.
The Yong Kang is the eighth 600-tonne Anping-class missile corvette to be launched as part of the project, she said.
Photo courtesy of the Coast Guard Administration
The vessel’s launch highlights the determination of the government to patrol the seas around the country and to safeguard its people and fishing rights, she said.
The ship would be responsible for patrolling off southern Taiwan during peacetime and serve as a force of defense during wartime, she added.
The 10-year domestic shipbuilding project has not only boosted the CGA’s patrol capabilities, but also created thousands of jobs for the local shipbuilding industry, while increasing the sector’s international competitiveness, Hsiao said.
Photo: CNA
The project includes constructing four 4,000-tonne, six 1,000-tonne, 12 600-tonne, 17 100-tonne and 52 35-tonne patrol vessels, along with 50 littoral utility boats.
Also at the ceremony, the CGA also christened its ninth Anping-class missile corvette, the Chang Bin (長濱艦), which once finished and delivered, would be deployed to patrol off eastern Taiwan, the coast guard said.
The CGA has been busy expelling Chinese vessels and warships out of waters surrounding Kinmen County, near China’s Fujian Province, following a fatal collision earlier this year that escalated cross-strait tensions.
Photo: Lee Hui-chou, Taipei Times
Previously, official Chinese vessels seldom traveled into the prohibited waters around Kinmen, which were restricted to non-Taiwanese vessels by the Ministry of National Defense beginning in 1992.
However, Beijing has continued to send vessels into the area in protest following the fatal incident on Feb. 14 off the coast of Kinmen that killed two Chinese nationals when their boat capsized while being pursued by the CGA.
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
RSS