Taiwan's president Tsai Ing-wen launched the island's first ever home-grown submarine project Tuesday in the face of what the government says are growing military threats from China.
The move comes after China sent its only aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, through the Taiwan Strait in January, in one of a number of military drills held as relations deteriorate.
Taiwan last week warned of an increased invasion risk from China and has pledged to boost its military in response.
Tsai called the launch of the submarine plan a "historic moment" at a naval base in southern city of Kaohsiung.
She was presiding over a formal signing ceremony to initiate the project between the navy, Taiwanese shipbuilder CSBS Corporation and the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology, which develops combat system integration.
Delivery of the submarine is expected to take eight years and is part of the island's "indigenous defence policy", said Tsai.
"I want to tell you all that the Taiwanese always face challenges bravely and overcome them," she said.
Taiwan's navy currently operates a fleet of four submarines, bought from abroad, but only two of them can be deployed in the event of war.
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