Former director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Douglas Paal says that allowing Taiwan to buy US-made submarines or assisting Taiwan to build its own would be in US interests. AIT is the US de facto embassy in the absence of official ties between Taiwan and the United States.
Paal was speaking after a conference on the US strategic pivot to the Asia Pacific at Washington-based think tank The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Paal said that a Taiwanese submarine fleet could help maintain peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region. He said that the US has already discussed the issue of helping Taiwan acquire submarines with Taiwanese officials. The US could come to a technology transfer agreement with Taiwan through a contract, allowing Taiwan to overcome technical hurdles involved in building its own submarine fleet.
His remarks come after the US Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Jonathan Greenert said Monday that he has already talked with Taiwanese officials about Taiwan’s ambition to obtain submarines.