Legislative Yuan speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) reiterated yesterday that Taiwan's submarine procurement plan must be carried out based on a legislative resolution stipulating that part of the submarines on offer must be built domestically in Taiwan.
Quoting a resolution passed by the Legislative Yuan in May last year on the proposed purchases by the navy of eight diesel-powered submarines that the US has offered to sell, Wang said the subs must be acquired under three principles: that the procurement is in line with Taiwan's warfare needs; the price structure conforms to the international price range and six of the eight subs must be built or assembled in Taiwan.
Wang said it is the legislature's duty to uphold and carry out the resolution that it passed.
He said although a US Navy team said during a recent visit to Taipei that Taiwan was not suited to building submarines, state-run China Shipbuilding Corp (CSBC) is capable of assembling ship hulls of all kinds and the building prices can be clearly calculated if the submarines were built by CSBC.
Commenting on the US Navy's proposal that the Legislative Yuan pass the budget for the submarines by next July, Wang said he does not particularly understand how the schedule is decided, but he said he will see to it that the budget plan is screened as early as possible. Wang, however, said he will not offer any timetable for that legislative move.
Opposition People First Party Legislator Lin Yu-fang (
Lin asserted that the submarine budget will not be passed if the three-point Legislative Yuan submarine building resolution is ignored, either by the Ministry of National Defense or the Presidential Office.
Pointing out that even South Korea and Pakistan are building submarines, Lin said, "Nations building their own submarines" is now a worldwide trend.
Allowing CSBC to build six of the eight submarines on offer will also help the state-run company acquire shipbuilding skills of international standard and secure job opportunities for the 2,300-strong CSBC staff for at least 10 years, Lin said.
Since the US stopped producing diesel submarines long ago, its contractors will have to cooperate with their European counterparts to build the subs for Taiwan.
The US Navy officials said that the US will be instrumental in arranging the building of the eight 2,000-tonne diesel submarines by either Germany or Spain.
The US officials were apparently not very agreeable to notions that CSBC undertake the building of the eight diesel submarines.
Most of the legislators who have been pushing for plans allowing CSBC to build part of the eight diesel submarines that the US agreed to sell to Taiwan are displeased with the opinions of the US Navy officials.
In 2001, the US government announced a robust package of arms it had agreed to sell to Taiwan, including the eight diesel-powered submarines.
Taiwan formally filed a request in 1995 for the submarines from the US in an effort to beef up its deterrence capabilities against possible attempts by China to blockade Taiwan.
According to CSBC officials, it is hoped that a "2-2-2-2" plan will be followed in the building of the eight diesel-powered subs, where the first two subs are built totally abroad, one-third of the third and fourth subs are built in Taiwan, two-thirds of the fifth and sixth subs are manufactured in Taiwan, and the last two subs are built completely in Taiwan.
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) today condemned the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) after the Czech officials confirmed that Chinese agents had surveilled Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during her visit to Prague in March last year. Czech Military Intelligence director Petr Bartovsky yesterday said that Chinese operatives had attempted to create the conditions to carry out a demonstrative incident involving Hsiao, going as far as to plan a collision with her car. Hsiao was vice president-elect at the time. The MAC said that it has requested an explanation and demanded a public apology from Beijing. The CCP has repeatedly ignored the desires
Many Chinese spouses required to submit proof of having renounced their Chinese household registration have either completed the process or provided affidavits ahead of the June 30 deadline, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said on Thursday. Of the 12,146 people required to submit the proof, 5,534 had done so as of Wednesday, MAC deputy head and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. Another 2,572 people who met conditions for exemption or deferral from submitting proof of deregistration — such as those with serious illnesses or injuries — have submitted affidavits instead, he said. “As long as individuals are willing to cooperate with the legal
The Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant’s license has expired and it cannot simply be restarted, the Executive Yuan said today, ahead of national debates on the nuclear power referendum. The No. 2 reactor at the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County was disconnected from the nation’s power grid and completely shut down on May 17, the day its license expired. The government would prioritize people’s safety and conduct necessary evaluations and checks if there is a need to extend the service life of the reactor, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) told a news conference. Lee said that the referendum would read: “Do
Taiwan's Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) said Saturday that she would not be intimidated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), following reports that Chinese agents planned to ram her car during a visit to the Czech Republic last year. "I had a great visit to Prague & thank the Czech authorities for their hospitality & ensuring my safety," Hsiao said on social media platform X. "The CCP's unlawful activities will NOT intimidate me from voicing Taiwan's interests in the international community," she wrote. Hsiao visited the Czech Republic on March 18 last year as vice president-elect and met with Czech Senate leadership, including
RSS