The navy will equip its only two operational submarines with advanced anti-ship missiles, a leading defense magazine reports in this week's edition, in an article released early on its Web site.
The two Zwaardvis-class submarines, the Hai Lung (
The move is considered a cheap way for the Taiwanese navy to address what some analysts have called critical shortcomings in its ability to defend against a Chinese invasion.
Still, the article quoted one source as saying "[the submarines'] ability to fire a Harpoon is considered marginal at best."
The Harpoons that Taiwan is to acquire could include a modification that would give Taiwan "the capability of attacking coastal, in-harbor and land targets," Jane's said.
"This will place China's key naval bases of Shantou, Xiamen, Sandu, Xaizhen, Shanghai and Zhoushan in Taiwan's crosshairs," the magazine said.
Taiwan technically has a fleet of four submarines, but the navy's two Guppy-class subs -- built by the US in the middle of World War II -- are considered suitable only for training, and are not equipped with torpedoes.
The Dutch-built Zwaardvis-class submarines were built in the 1980s, and have in the past been armed with wire-guided torpedoes that have had a series of technical problems.
Taiwan's navy considers its submarine program to be one area that requires a great deal of attention, due to the perceived key role submarines could play in breaking or preventing a Chinese naval blockade. For this reason, the Ministry of National Defense has sought the purchase of additional submarines for several years, in an effort to beef up the nation's submarine fleet.
In 2001, Washington approved a deal in which it would procure eight diesel-electric submarines for purchase by Taiwan. That deal has long been stymied as part of the special arms procurement budget bill, which has been blocked 29 times in the Legislative Yuan by pro-unification legislators from the Chinese Nationalist Party and the People First Party.
China, which has repeatedly threatened to invade Taiwan under a wide array of conditions, has one of the world's largest submarine fleets, with about 70 operational vessels as of this year, according to Pentagon reports.
The US maintains a fleet of more than 50 nuclear-powered attack submarines.
Global bodies should stop excluding Taiwan for political reasons, President William Lai (賴清德) told Pope Francis in a letter, adding that he agrees war has no winners. The Vatican is one of only 12 countries to retain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, and Taipei has watched with concern efforts by Beijing and the Holy See to improve ties. In October, the Vatican and China extended an accord on the appointment of Catholic bishops in China for four years, pointing to a new level of trust between the two parties. Lai, writing to the pope in response to the pontiff’s message on Jan. 1’s
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TAKE BREAKS: A woman developed cystitis by refusing to get up to use the bathroom while playing mahjong for fear of disturbing her winning streak, a doctor said People should stand up and move around often while traveling or playing mahjong during the Lunar New Year holiday, as prolonged sitting can lead to cystitis or hemorrhoids, doctors said. Yuan’s General Hospital urologist Lee Tsung-hsi (李宗熹) said that he treated a 63-year-old woman surnamed Chao (趙) who had been sitting motionless and holding off going to the bathroom, increasing her risk of bladder infection. Chao would drink beverages and not urinate for several hours while playing mahjong with friends and family, especially when she was on a winning streak, afraid that using the bathroom would ruin her luck, he said. She had
MUST REMAIN FREE: A Chinese takeover of Taiwan would lead to a global conflict, and if the nation blows up, the world’s factories would fall in a week, a minister said Taiwan is like Prague in 1938 facing Adolf Hitler; only if Taiwan remains free and democratic would the world be safe, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. The ministry on Saturday said Corriere della Sera is one of Italy’s oldest and most read newspapers, frequently covers European economic and political issues, and that Wu agreed to an interview with the paper’s senior political analyst Massimo Franco in Taipei on Jan. 3. The interview was published on Jan. 26 with the title “Taiwan like Prague in 1938 with Hitler,” the ministry
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