Taiwan’s coast guard has commissioned two 3,000-ton patrol vessels amid rising tensions in the South China Sea.
President Ma Ying-jeou presided over the commissioning ceremony on Saturday. He also boarded one of the new ships and observed rescue drills in waters off the southern city of Kaohsiung.
In his address, Ma called on all countries with conflicting sovereignty claims in the South China Sea to shelve disputes and jointly explore the resources in the region.
The two ships designed and built in Taiwan are the largest in the coast guard’s fleet. One of the vessels will be sent to the South China Sea, while the other will be dispatched to waters north of Taiwan.
Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, China, Brunei, and Malaysia have overlapping claims over parts of the South China Sea. China’s recent reclamation work in the region has alarmed its neighbors. The US has called on China to immediately stop its land reclamation in disputed areas of the South China Sea.