Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/08/24
By: Lu Hsin-hui and Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, Aug. 24 (CNA) A day after President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said that Taiwan is committed to building its own submarines, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry insisted on Monday that it had still not given up on the idea of buying submarines from the United States.

Ministry of National Defense (MND) spokesman Maj. Gen Luo Shou-he (羅紹和) said submarines are on the priority list of weapons Taiwan needs because they have a strong deterrent value and can help protect the safety of Taiwan’s marine territory.

Taiwan is pursuing the expansion of its submarine fleet through two channels: continuing to seek arms sales from the United States and building submarines on its own, Luo said.     [FULL  STORY]