President Ma Ying-jeou attended a ceremony commissioning two military vessels in Kaohsiung on Tuesday. Both the stealth missile corvette and the new supply ship are locally built.
Ma said the new corvette's name, Tuo Jiang, was taken from a Republic of China (ROC) Navy ship that played an important role in the 1958 Artillery Battle with China. ROC is Taiwan’s official name. Ma said the commissioning of the Tuo Jiang is to show that Taiwan’s military can protect Taiwan and its people.
"The Navy has named the new corvette the Tuo Jiang to highlight and pass on the loyalty of the military at the time. It is also to tell the world the Republic of China’s military has the determination and will to win, to protect the nation and the people’s welfare, and to secure Taiwan’s safety and prosperity," said Ma.
Taiwan faces challenges in buying submarines and other military hardware because of objections from China. So Taiwan has taken the initiative to build military vessels on its own. Ma said this has upgraded domestic shipbuilding capabilities and created job opportunities.
A spot was left empty at the ceremony with a sign reading “new generation submarine”. President Ma said Taiwan is determined to continue with its domestic submarine program to strengthen defense capabilities.