Defense ministry denies plan to acquire submarines from Russia

Taiwan's defense ministry on Wednesday denied a news report that it is exploring the possibility of collaborating with Russia to build and acquire submarines to boost the island's defense capabilities.

"There is absolutely no such plan, " Vice Defense Minister Chao Shih-chang said while fielding questions at a meeting of the Legislative Yuan's National Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee.

The Chinese-language Next Magazine reported that a task force comprising officials of the Navy and the CSBC Corp. Taiwan visited Russia in October to discuss the possibility of collaborating with shipbuilders there to build submarines for Taiwan.

The Navy Command Headquarters also rebutted the report in a statement.

"The Navy has no plans to acquire submarines from sources other than the United States," the statement said.

The U.S. has been the biggest supplier of defense weapons to Taiwan.

The administration of former U.S. President George W. Bush announced a robust arms sale package to Taiwan in 2001, including eight conventional submarines, but the submarine deal has yet to be substantiated.

The Navy Command Headquarters said that the submarine procurement deal is being screened by the U.S. Department of State and other related agencies and that it will make every effort to prompt the U.S. authorities to speed up the sale of the vessels to Taiwan.

Taiwan currently has four submarines but only two of them -- the Swordfish models purchased in 1980s from the Netherlands -- are in active service. The two other, which have been in service since World War II, are used mainly for training purposes.

Meanwhile, CSBC Corp Taiwan did not deny the reported trip to Russia but said "it had nothing to do with the Navy."

"No naval officers were part of the team that visited Russia last October for business purposes, " said Ying Tze-hsiang, a ranking CSBC official who led the delegation.

Ying said the CSBC delegation was seeking to tap into business opportunities in Russia on one hand and to try to strike technical cooperation deals with Russian builders on the other.

He explained that his corporation needs to expand its overseas market to cope with the increasing competition from shipbuilders in South Korea, Japan and China.

In addition, CSBC plans to acquire Russian expertise in building ice-breaking ships, as part of CSBC's efforts to meet increasing demand for transportation on the route between the North Pole and Shanghai, China, Ying said.

Besides, Russia, with its rich in marine resources, is in urgent need of financial support to build fishing vessels -- another reason for the leading Taiwan shipbuilder to consider partnerships with shipbuilders there, he said (source fokustaiwan.tw)

Navy maintains the unidentified object not Chinese submarine

Commander says the object does not dive rapidly to escape detection, but continues on its course.

The Navy said yesterday the unidentified object spotted under water near its top base last week was not a Chinese submarine or a sea mammal.

A newspaper reported Sunday that an anti-submarine helicopter found a submarine within Taiwanese territorial waters near the naval base of Tsoying during military maneuvers on Jan. 27. As soon as the Navy called on the submarine to identify itself, it fled out of the area without responding, leading to suspicions it came from China, the reports said.

The Navy denied the report, saying sonar showed up an unidentified object which could not have been a submarine.

Yesterday, 168th Fleet Commander Lee Tung-fang said the object did not dive rapidly to escape detection, but continued on its course at a speed of 2 nautical miles an hour. The data told the Navy that there were no submarines, whales, dolphins or sunken ships involved, Lee said.

The 168th fleet had originally been patrolling off Taiwan's east coast, but was called to the area off Kaohsiung's Tsoying base to participate in anti-submarine drills, he said.

The area in the Taiwan Straits was difficult terrain for finding submarines, the senior officer told reporters. His unit had previous experience with locating underwater objects inside Taiwanese territorial waters which later turned up not to be submarines, according to Lee.

Taiwan wants more U.S. weapons despite latest sales

Far from being satisfied with a $6.4 billion arms package proposed by Washington last week, Taiwan said on Wednesday it wants more weapons, and more advanced ones at that, a move sure to further infuriate China.

Taiwan, which has seen its military superiority over China gradually slip over the past few years on the back of a massive rise in Chinese defence spending, urgently wants to get its hands on advanced F-16 fighter jets and submarines.

U.S. officials have given no clear signals about when that equipment may arrive. Washington may hold off given China's strident reaction to Friday's package, which included a more modest offering of Patriot missiles and Black Hawk helicopters.

Sino-U.S. relations are already tense due to a series of other spats over the value of China's currency, trade protectionism and Internet freedoms.

"We hope for the F-16s. We're still asking about submarines. Although relations have improved with mainland China, Taiwan still needs its own defensive power," said Tony Wang, spokesman for Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou. "We need a sense of security."

Taiwan's current submarine fleet of four includes two boats built during World War Two which go to sea complete with some of their original brass fittings. China, by contrast, has more than 60 submarines and a rapidly modernising surface fleet.

Submarine intrusion or navy incompetence

The navy denied a news report Sunday that its anti-submarine helicopters, during a training drill on Jan. 27, had detected a Chinese submarine at an underwater location 24 miles southeast of Taiwan's Zuoying naval base.

Hsia Te-yu, political warfare chief of the Navy Command, explained Jan. 30 that after close observation and verification based on standard operating procedures, the navy concluded that the object was in fact not a submarine.

According to the news report, the vessels involved in the training drill immediately went on alert after they determined that the object was a submarine and that it had not responded to the signals it was sent. The submarine left the area soon after it was spotted, the report said.

The following are excerpts from local media coverage of the issue:
China Times:
The navy said that submarines from non-hostile nations usually notify Taiwan if they plan to pass through Taiwan's territorial waters, or at least they would respond to inquiry signals.

DPP calls on government to strive to obtain submarine and F16

Democratic Progressive Party Spokesman Tsai Chi-chang Monday called on the government to continue the effort to include F16C/D and submarine into the newly weapon sales promised by the US government, according to news report. 

“Ma Administration should be cautious about every step to win Taiwan the best strategic position and the best possible benefit,” the local Central News Agency quoted DPP Legislative Chai Trong-rong as saying.

F-16C/D fighter jet and submarine have been long sought by Taiwan military. But they are currently not listed within the weapon sale, totaling to US$6.4 billion, declared by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) last Saturday.

The proposed arms sale include 114 Patriot missiles, 60 Black Hawk helicopters, communication equipment, 2 Osprey mine-hunting ships and 12 Harpoon missiles, according to DSCA.

Meanwhile, as Navy denied a Chinese submarine founded near its Zuoying base yesterday, the DPP urged the government to reinforce coastal defense.(source etaiwannews.com)

Washington Prepares Arms Sales for Taiwan, Risking China’s Ire

A package of arms sales being prepared by Washington for Taiwan may portend a downturn in U.S.-China relations only a year after the Obama administration entered office championing closer ties with Beijing. The ever-sensitive topic of U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, considered by Beijing to be an integral part of the People’s Republic of China, will undoubtedly result in protestations by the Chinese, who have long maintained a vow to recover the island by force if necessary.

 The sales of armaments and military-related equipment and support to Taiwan may hinder - temporarily at least - whatever progress made by the administration in pushing for more cooperation between the two countries in areas such as climate change, nuclear proliferation and regional security issues. Perhaps more importantly, it may also lead China to temporarily sever military-to-military contacts with the U.S.

Politically-speaking, for the Obama administration there is no good time to announce the approval of arms sales to Taiwan, only a least-damaging one. The potential sales involved may include 60 UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, second-hand Perry-class frigates, design assistance on diesel-electric submarines, an upgrade deal for the “Po Sheng” (Broad Victory) C4I (command, control, communications, computers and military intelligence) system, and Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missiles and upgrades to Taiwan’s existing Patriot missile defense system.

U.S. firm wins contracts to produce Patriot system for Taiwan

U.S. defense manufacturer Raytheon Company said Wednesday that it has been awarded contracts worth a total of US$1.1 billion to produce new Patriot Air and Missile Defense System for Taiwan.

The awards cover ground-system hardware through an initial contract valued at US$965.6 million and an initial spares contract valued at US$134.4 million, the company said in a statement.

It said the new Patriot fire units will feature improved man-machine interface and reduced life-cycle costs and will be produced in Massachusetts, Texas and Alabama.

The items are part of an arms sale package approved by the administration of former U.S. President George W. Bush in late 2008.

 

Photo : air-and-space

Military optimistic on US arms sales to Taiwan

Washington is likely to agree to the sale of submarines to Taiwan as a gesture of good faith, according to a high-ranking ROC military official Dec. 10.

Existing Taiwanese Hai-Lung submarine.
Source: R.O.C. Ministry of National Defense Website

The comment was made in response to the latest Reuters report that the Barack Obama administration is moving toward possible new arms sales to Taiwan, including Black Hawk helicopters and design work on diesel-electric submarines. Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC-3) missiles and military equipment included in the Po Sheng command and control program are still under discussion, the report said.