Taiwan’s navy concluded three days of New Year drills on Thursday with a simulation aimed at repelling enemy vessels. The exercise featured two of its newest and most advanced warships leading a flotilla through the Taiwan Strait.
China, which claims democratically governed Taiwan as its territory, regularly deploys its air force and navy near the island. These actions, described by Taipei as part of a continuous pressure campaign, highlight escalating tensions in the region.
Last year China also held two rounds of major war games around Taiwan. At the Zuoying naval base in the southern city of Kaohsiung on the shores of the Strait, two Tuo Chiang-class corvettes accompanied four smaller Kuang Hua VI-class missile boats into the waters in a drill simulating the approach of enemy ships.
“When we see a target at sea, when it continues to approach us, this is how we react,” navy Captain Chen Ming-feng told reporters at the base.
The Taiwan-made Tuo Chiang corvettes have been dubbed the “aircraft carrier killer” by its navy, for their complement of anti-ship missiles. They can also carry Sky Sword anti-aircraft missiles.
With a catamaran design, the state-of-the-art highly manoeuvrable stealth vessels, are intended to take out larger warships while operating close to Taiwan’s shores.
Taiwan’s navy is significantly outmatched by China’s, which boasts three aircraft carriers, nuclear-powered submarines, and hundreds of other warships.
As part of the drills that began on Tuesday, Taiwan’s air force showcased its Patriot ground-to-air missile systems and Ching-kuo Indigenous Defence Fighters to reporters.
Taiwan firmly rejects Beijing’s claims of sovereignty, asserting that only the island’s people have the right to determine their future.
Team BharatShakti
(With inputs from Reuters)
