President Tsai pledges to boost Taiwan's indigenous shipbuilding capabilities

2019/12/10

President Tsai Ing-wen said Dec. 6 that the government will continue enhancing Taiwan’s indigenous shipbuilding capabilities as part of efforts further strengthening national defense.
 
 Developing state-of-the-art vessels is a top policy priority, Tsai said. In addition to boosting the effectiveness of patrols and ensuring the safety of Taiwan’s women and men in uniform, these efforts will spur the development of related industry sectors and promote prosperity, she added.
 
 Tsai made the remarks while taking part in a ceremony involving four ships for the Coast Guard Administration under Cabinet-level Ocean Affairs Council in Kaohsiung City, southern Taiwan. Two are 35-ton patrol craft, one a 35-ton high-speed, multifunctional vessel and the other a 600-ton cutter christened Anping.
 
 According to Tsai, the ceremony is a milestone in the government’s patrol vessel development project. Announced in 2018, the 10-year, NT$42.6 billion (US$1.4 billion) undertaking will produce 141 vessels equipped with cutting-edge technology to protect Taiwan’s fishing rights and sovereignty.
 
 The CGA said the 35-ton high-speed, multifunction vessel will operate in the vicinity of Taiwan’s outlying islands, while the cutter will carry out missions off the coast of southern Taiwan.

Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)