ONLINE
\nTaipei
\nTaiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen vowed Thursday that the island would not \u201cconcede one step\u201d in defending itself as she inaugurated two frigates bought from the United States aimed at boosting Taipei\u00b4s naval capabilities against China.
\nRival China has upped military drills including a live fire exercise in the Taiwan Strait in April, declaring its willingness to confront the island\u00b4s \u201cindependence forces\u201d. Beijing still claims self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory awaiting reunification, by force if necessary, even though the two sides have been ruled separately since 1949 after a civil war.
\nChina has also been incensed by recent warming ties between Washington and Taipei, including the US State Department\u00b4s approval of a preliminary licence to sell submarine technology to the island.
\nThe two Perry-class guided missile frigates were officially commissioned in a ceremony at Zuoying base in southern Kaohsiung city.
\n\u201cWe want to send a clear and firm message from Taiwanese people to the international community that we will not concede one step in defending… Taiwan and protecting our free and democratic way of life,\u201d Tsai said after inspecting the ships.
\nChina\u00b4s \u201cmilitary actions in the region not only attempt to weaken Taiwan\u00b4s sovereignty but will also damage regional peace and stability,\u201d Tsai warned.
\nShe vowed to continue enhancing the navy\u00b4s capabilities as part of the military\u00b4s goal to maintain what it calls \u201csolid defence and multi-layered deterrence\u201d to guard the island.
\nNavy chief of staff Vice Admiral Lee Chung-hsiao had said previously the warships\u00b4 anti-submarine capabilities are more advanced than the island\u00b4s existing eight Cheng Kung-class frigates and could have \u201cdeterrent effects\u201d against China\u00b4s submarines.
\nThe US de facto embassy in Taipei, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), said the sale would \u201cimprove Taiwan\u00b4s capability in current and future defensive efforts\u201d as well as stability in the region.
\nThe ships will be deployed to patrol the Taiwan Strait, the narrow waterway that separates the island and China, according to the navy.
\nBeijing has stepped up diplomatic and military pressure on Taiwan since Tsai took office two years ago, as her government refuses to acknowledge that Taiwan is part of \u201cone China\u201d, unlike the government of her Beijing-friendly predecessor.
\nIn September, Washington irked Beijing when it announced plans to sell Taiwan $330 million in spare parts for several aircraft.
\nWashington remains Taipei\u00b4s most powerful unofficial ally and its main arms supplier despite switching diplomatic recognition to Beijing in 1979.
\nBuilt in the 1980s, the two frigates were originally named USS Taylor and USS Gary and were part of a $1.8 billion US arms deal to Taiwan announced in 2015 under the administration of US president Barack Obama.
\nThey have been renamed Ming Chuan and Feng Chia.
\nAccording to Taiwan\u00b4s navy, the warships have \u201chigh mobility, high sea resistance and low noise\u201d and are fitted with the SQR-19 sonar system currently used by US navy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ONLINE Taipei Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen vowed Thursday that the island would not \u201cconcede one step\u201d in defending itself as she inaugurated two frigates bought from the United States aimed at boosting Taipei\u00b4s naval capabilities against China. Rival China has upped military drills including a live fire exercise in the Taiwan Strait in April, declaring […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":34417,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-34402","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news","8":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n