Minister of National Defense Tang Yao-ming (
Tang created a stir among opposition lawmakers on Tuesday when he said that, in a new display of force, a Chinese Luhu-class missile destroyer sailed near Taiwan's eastern coast on its way to exercises this month in the South China Sea. In the past, Chinese ships have only gone through the Taiwan Strait, he said.
Tang made the comment in the legislature as he was seeking approval to buy four decommissioned Kidd-class destroyers from the US.
Opposition lawmakers were quick to accuse Tang of strategically releasing the information as he lobbied for getting the destroyers. But Tang argued yesterday that he brought up the Chinese war games in response to questions from lawmakers.
He added that he was in a no-win situation. "If I discuss the issue, people will have all kinds of different interpretations about what I said. But if I don't discuss it and people find out later, they'll blame me for not briefing them," he told reporters.
Some legislators oppose buying the mothballed Kidd-class ships, saying that they're too old and that America is trying to dump them off on Taiwan. The US has already tried selling the vessels to Australia and Greece.
The Kidd-class ships were originally built for the Shah of Iran, but he was overthrown in 1979 before the vessels could be delivered. The US Navy used them until they were decommissioned in 1998.
Military officials say they favor the ships because they could be delivered quickly, allowing the nation to address a rapidly expanding threat from China.
In recent years, China has been loading up on warships, submarines and jets from cash-strapped Russia.
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