Asia

Taiwan Launches Construction of First Indigenous Submarine

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen (center) attends the launch of the MadeInTaiwan submarine program on Tuesday. / Tsai Ing-wen / Twitter

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By Kyodo News 25 November 2020

Taiwan began building the prototype of its indigenous defense submarine on Tuesday after the US government gave the green light to sensitive components of the underwater vessel.

With Brent Christensen, director of Washington’s de facto embassy, the American Institute in Taiwan’s Taipei office, looking on, President Tsai Ing-wen said the beginning of the construction project marked a milestone and bore historic significance.

It not only debunked the rumor that a domestically designed and built submarine was an empty promise of her government, but also showed that it is determined to realize her policy of building military equipment at home, Tsai said.