President Tsai Ing-wen has announced that Taiwan is speeding up plans to build new Tuo Chiang-class corvettes for its navy. Tsai made the announcement in a Facebook post Tuesday evening. Earlier in the day, Tsai had attended a launch ceremony for the latest Tuo Chiang-class corvette to be completed.
The defense ministry had originally planned to have three Tuo Chiang-class corvettes completed between 2017 and 2025. However, a revised plan will have six of the ships built by 2023.
At the Legislature on Wednesday, Deputy Defense Minister Chang Che-ping confirmed the new, faster timetable. Chang said production is being sped up due to a dramatic intensification of China’s threat towards Taiwan.
The Tuo Chiang-class corvette is a Taiwan-designed guided missile corvette that was first commissioned in 2015. The corvette has been called a “carrier killer” in local media and is seen as being able to asymmetrically counter China’s naval vessels.