Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Looking forward to US recognition

Chang Kuo-tsai 張國財

US President Joe Biden on Monday at the US-Pacific Islands Forum at the White House announced that the US recognizes the Cook Islands and Niue as “sovereign and independent” states, and pledged to open diplomatic relations, while reiterating that “the history and the future of the Pacific islands and the United States are inextricably linked,” news reports said.

Is Taiwan any less worthy than those two for the US to recognize its sovereignty?

The Cook Islands is a group of 15 islands with a combined land area of about 240km2 and a population of about 170,000. Niue covers about 261km2 and had a population of 1,689 last year.

Tsai hails first indigenous sub launch

Taipei Times

President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday presided over the launch of the nation’s first domestically made submarine, called Hai Kun (海鯤), or Narwhal, or at a ceremony in Kaohsiung, calling the event a crucial moment in Taiwan’s mission to produce domestic subs and achieve “defense autonomy.”

The ceremony was held at a CSBC Corp, Taiwan (台灣國際造船) shipyard, the contractor for the nation’s Indigenous Defense Submarine (IDS) project.

“Today will go down in history,” Tsai said in her remarks.

Sub launch a major step forward

Chu-Ke Feng-yun 諸葛風雲

During World War II, German U-boats almost succeeded in bringing Britain to its knees. US Navy submarines saw their greatest success against Japan with the sinking of more than 500 vessels in the Taiwan Strait. The complete blockade of Japan with US submarines, US Navy aircraft and an aerial mining program destabilized Japan’s economy and created severe shortages of food, materials for weapons production and fuel.

On April 2, 1982, Argentine forces used submarines to invade the Falkland Islands, a British territory, sparking one of the largest conflicts since World War II. In response to Argentine aggression, the British government quickly assembled a task force to engage the Argentine Navy.

Sub success a milestone for nation

Taipei Times Editorial

Taiwan’s first indigenous defense submarine prototype, the Hai Kun (SS-711), is to be launched tomorrow and undergo underwater testing next month. It is a major breakthrough in upgrading the nation’s self-defense capabilities, and would make it more difficult for China to blockade Taiwan.

Facing Beijing’s escalating military threats and ambitions of expanding across the Taiwan Strait, a domestically developed submarine was first proposed in the 1990s under then-president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝). The Indigenous Defense Submarine (IDS) program was formally initiated in 2016, as President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) took office, with the aim of creating a fleet of eight domestically developed submarines.

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