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| Hai Lung class submarine (Wiki Info - Image: Wiki Commons) |
By Zachary Keck
Taiwan’s defense chief has confirmed that Washington will help Taipei build diesel-electric attack submarines (SSK).
The U.S. has agreed to help Taiwan build its own diesel-electric attack submarines (SSKs), Taiwan’s defense chief told parliament on Monday.
During testimony to the Legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee on Monday, Defense Minister Yen Ming told lawmakers that the U.S. “is willing to help us build the submarines together.” He added that Taiwan would continue to push the U.S. and other countries to sell it eight diesel-electric submarine.
Back in 2001, the U.S. under President George W. Bush agreed to sell Taiwan eight submarines to help it defend itself against China’s growing military power. Negotiations were slow at first due to financial constraints and domestic politics in Taiwan. Then, the U.S. stopped producing non-nuclear powered submarines. Finding a third country to produce the submarines has proved difficult due to China’s fierce opposition.
Defense Minister Yen’s confirmation comes just days after Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou told a U.S. think tank that Taiwan was pushing for foreign help in constructing its own submarines. Speaking by video to the Center for Strategic and International Studies last Wednesday, President Ma said: “There seems to be a consensus in Taiwan that we should seek foreign technology to help us build (the submarines) ourselves.”
Read the full story at The Diplomat