Taipei: Taiwan is planning to build an anti-aircraft submarine (warship) to counter China’s military attacks, a spokesman for Taiwan’s defense ministry said. He said that the ships are expected to be ready in 2025 and 2026.
The Defense Ministry said that US Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan prompted China to conduct military exercises and that since then China has doubled the number of ships patrolling the island to four or five.
The new warship construction is part of a plan to counter China’s aggression. Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen has said that the production and stockpiling of weapons will be increased. The Navy currently has 26 large warships.
In China, President Xi Jinping is coming to power for the third time. The Taiwan issue is expected to be discussed at the party congress. The president had previously said he would take all necessary measures to resolve the Taiwan issue.