As tension rises with China, Taiwan speeds up construction of indigenous Submarine

Amid growing tensions between Taiwan and China, the Taiwanese authorities swung into action to safeguard the disputed territory. According to a report by the South China Morning Post, the Taiwan government has started building an indigenous submarine prototype after tensions with Beijing increased significantly in the last six months. Notably, the report was published citing a source in the Taiwanese military. The source reportedly told the Chinese media outlet that the Taiwan government has recently ordered the manufacturer to speed up the construction process.

Naval forces to get first batch of submarines

Further, the source revealed the naval forces would get the first batch of submarines a year before it was scheduled. The source said that the first and the most crucial phase of its construction was completed in November this year. According to Russian news agency Sputnik, the Taiwanese government had started building indigenous submarine manufacturing projects in 2016 with an aim to build eight new submarines. As of now, the country has four old submarines and eight new ones. Out of 12, two of Taiwan's four submarines that date back to World War II are used primarily for training purposes.

Citing a report published by the Taiwan government, Sputnik reported that the estimated cost of the new submarine prototype is $1.7 billion. It said that the warship would be inducted on or before 2025. Currently, the construction of submarines is under process at a CSBC Corporation shipyard. The Taiwanese Navy held a keel-laying ceremony for the submarine prototype in mid-November this year. 

It is worth noting Taiwan-- officially the Republic of China, is a country in East Asia that shares maritime boundaries with China. Earlier, it was a part of China but, during a civil war, it was divided and formed two self-governing entities-- the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of China (ROC). Despite the split, China constitutionally considers Taiwan as its integral part under its "One China Principle". According to a recent US report, it claimed Beijing would force the democratic Island to negotiate on its terms by 2027. The US Department of Defence released a report in the first week of November titled "Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China" has warned the Taiwanese government to take "extra care" of its territories.

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