Asymmetrical warfare and groups of warships, together with land-based missiles on trucks, still constitute Taiwan’s best national defense strategy, a security analyst said yesterday.
Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), an associate research fellow at the government-funded Institute for National Defense and Security Research, made the comments following Monday’s launch ceremony for a second Tuo Jiang-class corvette.
The navy is expected to receive delivery of the new corvette in 2025, following sea trials, with two more corvettes expected to follow.
The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) requisition of 12 Anping-class corvettes — similar to the Tuo Jiang, but with added facilities and equipment for rescue operations — are expected to be delivered by 2026, along with a prototype from the indigenous submarine program.
The coast guard on Friday received delivery of two corvettes — the first in the Anping-class series — at a ceremony in Kaohsiung.
Adopting an expansionist mindset, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy fleet received delivery of 107 surface ships between 2012 and last year, but Taiwan should reference the Swedish naval model, Su said.
The Swedish Royal Navy primarily deploys warships of 600 to 1,500 tonnes, which alongside land-based missile systems, gives it naval superiority in its region, Su said.
Taiwan could recreate this model by pairing the Tuo Jiang with patrol ships of less tonnage, as this would be more in line with Taiwan’s strategic needs and more cost effective, Su said.
The disparity in the navies of Taiwan and China, Taiwan’s limited resources, and the cost of research and development to manufacture larger vessels are all factors working against Taiwan having a “big navy,” Defence International magazine editor Chen Kuo-ming (陳國銘) said.
Israel’s 1,900-tonne Sa’ar 6 corvette and Sweden’s 600-tonne Visby-class corvette are examples of warships that Taiwan should follow, Chen said.
Newer warship designs should be highly automated and have fewer crew members, Chen added.
Separately yesterday, the Ministry of National Defense announced that the navy expects to receive delivery of four minelayer ships by the end of next year, an amphibious transport dock ship — also known as a landing platform dock — in 2022, as well as a disaster relief support ship, known only by the project name Anhai (安海), in 2023.
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
INDUSTRY: Beijing’s latest export measures go beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related tech, an academic said Taiwanese industries could face significant disruption from China’s newly tightened export controls on rare earth elements, as much of Taiwan’s supply indirectly depends on Chinese materials processed in Japan, a local expert said yesterday. Kristy Hsu (徐遵慈), director of the Taiwan ASEAN Studies Center at the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research, said that China’s latest export measures go far beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related technologies. With Japan and Southeast Asian countries among those expected to be hit, Taiwan could feel the impact through its reliance on Japanese-made semi-finished products and
RSS