00:00 Taiwan has unveiled its first domestically made submarine as it bolsters its defences
00:05 against a possible Chinese attack.
00:07 President Tsai Ing-wen presided over the launch ceremony in the port city of Kaohsiung on
00:12 Thursday.
00:13 US officials have warned that China could be militarily capable of mounting an invasion
00:18 within the next few years.
00:20 Taiwan is a self-governing island which China regards as a renegade province and has vowed
00:25 to reclaim one day.
00:27 Most observers believe China will not attack the island imminently, and Beijing has said
00:33 it seeks peaceful reunification with Taiwan.
00:36 But at the same time it has warned against Taiwan formally declaring independence and
00:41 any foreign support.
00:42 It has increasingly sought to put pressure on the island with its military drills in
00:47 the Taiwan Strait, including several conducted this month.
00:51 "History will forever remember this day," said Ms Tsai as she stood in front of the
00:55 towering submarine draped in the emblem of Taiwan's flag.
01:00 She added that the idea of a domestically made submarine had previously been considered
01:05 an impossible task "a broken bar but we did it."
01:08 The $1.54 billion, a £1.27bn, diesel-electric-powered submarine will undergo several tests and will
01:18 be delivered to the navy by the end of 2024, according to military officials.
01:24 It has been named the Haikun after a mythical massive fish that can also fly, which appears
01:29 in classic Chinese literature.
01:31 Another one is currently in production.
01:34 Taiwan aims to eventually operate a fleet of 10 submarines, including two older Dutch-made
01:40 boats, and equip them with missiles.
01:42 The head of the domestic submarine programme Admiral Huang Shikuang told reporters last
01:48 week that the goal was to fend off any attempt from China to encircle Taiwan for an invasion
01:53 or impose a naval blockade.
01:56 It would also buy time until US and Japan forces arrive to aid Taiwan's defence, he
02:01 added.
02:02 Building their own submarines has long been a key priority for Taiwan's leaders, but
02:07 the programme accelerated under Ms Tsai who has revved up military spending to nearly
02:12 double its budget during her tenure.
02:15 China has yet to respond officially.
02:17 But in a piece published earlier this week, state media outlet Global Times said Taiwan
02:22 was daydreaming and the plan was just an illusion.
02:25 It also claimed China's military has already constructed a multi-dimensional anti-submarine
02:31 network all around the island.
02:33 Observers agree that the new submarines could help boost Taiwan's defence.
02:38 Taiwan's 10-submarine fleet would pale in comparison to China's, said to currently
02:43 comprise more than 60 boats including nuclear-powered attack submarines, with more on the way.
02:50 But the island has long pursued an asymmetric warfare strategy where it aims to build a
02:55 more agile defence force to face down a larger and well-resourced enemy.
03:00 The submarines could aid Taiwan's relatively small navy in taking initiative against China's
03:05 mighty navy by conducting guerrilla-style warfare with their stealth, lethality and
03:11 surprise capabilities, noted William Chong, a military researcher with the Institute for
03:16 National Defence and Security Research in Taiwan.
03:20 In particular, he said, they could help guard the various straits and channels that link
03:25 the so-called First Island Chain, a network of islands including Taiwan, Philippines and
03:31 Japan seen as a possible battlefront for any conflict with China.
03:37 Anti-submarine warfare remains as the Chinese navy's weakest part, and this is the chance
03:41 for Taiwan to exploit it, he added.
03:44 At the centre of gravity for any China-Taiwan naval conflict would not likely take place
03:50 in the deep waters off the island's east coast, where submarines would be most effective
03:55 in, pointed out Drew Thompson, a visiting senior research fellow at the National University
04:01 of Singapore and former US Department of Defence official.
04:05 Instead, the main theatre of war would be in the shallower waters of the west coast-facing
04:11 mainland China.
04:12 The submarine is not optimised for a counter-invasion role.
04:16 Having this increased capability to complicate China's military operations would have an
04:21 effect, but it's not a decisive one, he said.
04:25 Their effectiveness would largely depend on how Taiwan chooses to deploy them.
04:29 Beyond playing a deterrent role they could also be used to ambush Chinese ships carry
04:34 out mine-laying operations in Chinese ports disrupt maritime oil supplies and destroy
04:40 key facilities on the Chinese coastline, according to Zhicheng, a defence researcher with Taiwanese
04:47 think tank National Policy Foundation.
04:50 What is more significant, however, is that Taiwan managed to design and build its own
04:55 submarine in the first place.
04:57 The Haikon uses a combat system by US defence company Lockheed Martin and will carry US-made
05:03 missiles.
05:04 While this may be no surprise given that the US is Taiwan's chief ally, at least six other
05:10 countries including the UK came to Taiwan's aid in supplying components, technology and
05:15 talent, according to a Reuters report.
05:18 Adm Huang told Nikkei Asia he had personally approached military contacts in the US, Japan,
05:25 South Korea and India for help but did not specify which country eventually agreed.
05:31 The fact that several countries and companies were not afraid to supply parts to a marquee
05:36 defence programme in Taiwan. indicates a significant geopolitical shift, noted Mr Thompson.
05:43 It is an indicator of the doubt and dissatisfaction with Beijing felt by some members of the international
05:49 community, and should cause China to feel disquiet, added Mr Che.
05:54 The launch comes a day after Beijing confirmed it had been conducting military drills this
05:59 month to resolutely combat the arrogance of Taiwan independence separatist forces.
06:05 In recent weeks it had once again ramped up its warship presence in the Taiwan Strait
06:10 and military jet incursions into airspace around the island.
06:14 US military and intelligence officials have given varying timelines for a possible Chinese
06:20 invasion.
06:21 One date put forth recently is 2027, Chinese President Xi Jinping is believed to have told
06:28 his military to be operationally capable of mounting an invasion by that year.
06:33 But CIA Director William Burns also said it did not necessarily mean Mr Xi would decide
06:39 to invade then as he is thought to have doubts over whether China is ready to do so.
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