We all know that the situation between Taiwan and China is tense since the last few years and there needs to be only one trigger and all hell will break loose but the fact is that it is in the strategic interest of both the parties to remain calm instead of reacting. It is also seen that the US is siding with Taiwan and against China as of now but everything could change next year as the US will have a new President and it is not yet known if Biden will be re-elected or if Donald Trump comes to power yet again. Between all this, Taiwan has now revealed a new domestically-developed submarine which is its first ever. President Tsai unveiled this submarine to the world yesterday.
“In the past, a domestically developed submarine was considered an impossible task. But, today, a submarine designed and manufactured by our country’s people sits before our eyes,” Tsai said, adding that “it would play an important role in strengthening the navy’s asymmetric warfare capabilities”. She also mentioned that “Even if there are risks, and no matter how many challenges there are, Taiwan must take this step and allow the self-reliant national defence policy to grow and flourish on our land,” and stood in front of the ship named Narwhal that features the Taiwan flag on its bow. This is the first submarine developed by Taiwan and it will start operations in 2025 alongside the two other submarines currently in operation that were bought from the Netherlands.
Taiwan Foreign Minister Wu said, “Having a new submarine is one of those strategies. For anyone who questions Taiwan’s submarine strategy, I would be a most forceful advocate for Taiwan to acquire submarines because that’s needed to deter war from taking place,” Tsai’s security adviser also called this submarine as a “strategic deterrent” that can also help maintain the island’s “lifeline” to the Pacific by keeping ports along Taiwan’s eastern coast open. It is also worth noting that the country hopes to put two more submarine into its fleet by 2027 and possibly develop more of them with missiles as well.
