Tsoying, southern Taiwan, July 21 (CNA) President Chen Shui-bian said on Friday the Republic of China must beef up its naval defense capability to cope with mainland China's mounting military threat and maintain peace in the Taiwan Strait.
Chen made the call after commissioning four warships -- a US-built dock landing ship and three locally built missile patrol vessels -- at the Tsoying naval base in southern Taiwan.
Noting that modern warfare can be very destructive, Chen said deterring war is the ROC soldiers' primary task. "To fulfill this mission, we need to build a strong combat power," he noted.
Wearing a blue navy cap, President Chen told the 5,000 sailors, officers and marines standing on the decks of the four warships that mainland China is expanding its navy and striving to gain more control over the region's waters.
But Chen stressed that strengthening the navy's combat readiness is mainly aimed at preventing war and maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
"The main mission of our new warships is to protect our country," the president said, adding that the ROC should also strive to upgrade the technology of warship building rather than relying on foreign contractors.
"Upgrading the capability of building our own naval warships has been the government's policy and the navy's goal," he said, adding that the navy would also work with local companies to design and manufacture weaponry and military equipment to help spur the development of the island's fledgling defense industry and save spending.
The Hsuhai, one of the four commissioned warships, was leased from the United States. The 8,500-ton Anchorage-class amphibious landing ship arrived at the Tsoying naval base last month. It was built in 1969 and last used in the Gulf War in 1991.
Naval officers said the Hsuhai, equipped with anti-aircraft guns, can play a vital role in transporting troops to Taiwan's many outlying islands during a war.
The first ship of its type in Taiwan, the Hsuhai can carry four anti-submarine helicopters on its deck and three tanks inside its hull.
Also put into service were three missile patrol ships, the last of the 13 built in Taiwan. They are equipped with anti-aircraft guns, surface-to-surface missiles and long-range search radar.
The ROC began to replace its aging naval fleet in the 1980s and its navy is still seeking to buy submarines and U.S.-built Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, equipped with the Aegis system, which includes an advanced radar capable of searching for, tracking and engaging more than 100 targets simultaneously. (By Sofia Wu)
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