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CHINA SHIPBUILDING CORP. CAPABLE OF BUILDING SUBS: SPOKESMAN

Jun 06, 2002 14:47 UTC+0800

Kaohsiung, June 6 (CNA) China Shipbuilding Corp. (CSBC) is capable of building conventional submarines if the United States is willing to provide the technological assistance and design blueprints, a spokesman for the state-owned firm said Thursday.

CSBC spokesman Fan Kuang-nan was responding to Defense Minister Tang Yiau-min's remarks Wednesday that he was concerned about the question of which party would be held responsible in the event of any mishaps in the testing process if the submarines were to be built by local contractors.

Fan said shipbuilding engineers and technicians from Germany and the Netherlands, both of which are countries noted for their submarine construction technology and experience, had recognized the CSBC's potential to build submarines on its own during their previous visits to the firm.

"We believe that our company would be able to build conventional submarines so long as the United States provided us with certain technological assistance and design blueprints," Fan said. "Of course, we would also need to purchase some new shipbuilding equipment and facilities," he added.

The United States has agreed to sell Taiwan eight diesel-powered submarines. The Legislative Yuan has passed a proposal demanding that the Ministry of National Defense push U.S. authorities to assist the CSBC in building the first two submarines in Taiwan and then transfer the technical know-how for the CSBC to build the remaining six submarines on its own.

During a Legislative Yuan Defense Committee meeting held Wednesday, Defense Minister Tang said the military has invariably supported the policy of self-sufficiency in defense-related technological development.

However, Tang also expressed his concerns about possible safety risks in the construction of submarines that require advanced technological expertise and testing at a depth of 400 meters beneath the sea.

Nevertheless, Tang has promised that Taiwan's delegation to negotiate the submarine deal with the United States will include staff members of the CSBC.

Senior CSBC executives have paid visits to the Legislature, the Ministry of National Defense and the Navy General Headquarters to seek their respective support for securing the submarine contract and U.S. technology transfer. The CSBC's labor union has also been lobbying for legislative and military support for the company's drive to win the submarine contract.

The U.S. Defense Department received initial offers for Taiwan's submarine deal from several defense contractors last November.

The Pentagon originally planned to send a delegation to Taipei in March this year to brief Taiwan officials on the submarine construction blueprints presented by prospective contractors, but the planned visit has since been delayed many times.

A Pentagon spokesman said Wednesday he didn't know the concrete reasons behind the postponement. But he pointed out that the planned submarine deal involves many complicated technical problems. In his view, he said, the sale of submarines is not as simple as missile deals.

The spokesman further said which company will eventually be awarded the contract cannot be decided until after the U.S. delegation completes its briefing visit to Taiwan. The travel schedule of the delegation has yet to be decided, he added.

(By Sofia Wu)