BRIDGING INDUSTRIES:Taiwan hopes to work with the US on developing technologies and equipment that are unavailable in Taiwan, Lee Hsi-ming said
Taipei Times
Date: Oct 06, 2016
By: Chen Wei-han / Staff reporter
Deputy Minister of National Defense Lee Hsi-ming (李喜明) has reiterated the need for Taiwan-US defense collaboration, while the US has encouraged more intensive collaboration and and called on Taipei to increase its defense budget and develop asymmetric capabilities against a Chinese threat.
Lee, who led Taiwan’s delegation to the annual US-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference in Williamsburg, Virginia, said in a keynote speech on Sunday that the cross-strait military balance is tilting dramatically and it is increasingly difficult to deter China using traditional means.
Due to limited foreign sources for arms acquisition, Taiwan has shifted its focus from securing military sales to developing an indigenous defense industry, with aerospace, shipbuilding and information security forming the core of the nation’s defense industry, which is expected to have an output value of US$12 billion.
Successful coproduction programs between Taiwan and the US include AT-3 trainer jets, CM-11 tanks, Cheng-Kong class frigates and FC-K-1A/B “Ching-kuo” Indigenous Defensive Fighter jets. [FULL STORY]