Two More Taiwan Coast Guard Frigates Unveiled in Keelung Ceremony

TaiwanPlus News

Taiwan has unveiled two new coast guard frigates in a ceremony in the northern port city of Keelung. At least one of the vessels will be deployed to defend the country's east coast.

Transcript

00:00The Coast Guard is celebrating the completion of one ship and the launch of another in the

00:04northern port city of Jilong.

00:06One completed vessel, called the Lianjiang, is being handed over to the Coast Guard.

00:11It's named for the county which administers Taiwan's outlying Mazu Islands, just off the

00:15coast of China.

00:17At the same time, another vessel of the same class is being launched.

00:20During the christening ceremony for the ship, Taiwan's vice premier said it was named after

00:25the east coast county of Hualien.

00:27We will name the mission,

00:29which is to defend the Pacific Ocean and the East Taiwan Strait.

00:34I believe that with the addition of these two warships,

00:38we will be able to enhance the strength of our naval forces,

00:42to assist our naval forces in defending our sovereignty and maintaining our fishing rights.

00:47The ships are the third and fourth of six planned frigates.

00:51Taiwan's Coast Guard hopes they will modernize its fleet amid increasing tensions in the

00:55water around the country.

00:57China has ramped up military activity in waters around Taiwan in recent years,

01:01with incidents between Coast Guard and civilian vessels around Taiwan's outlying Jinmen Islands,

01:06some even resulting in deaths.

01:09The unveiling of new Coast Guard ships has become a common occurrence in Taiwan,

01:13as the country continues to bolster its maritime safety capabilities,

01:17and as the tensions in and around its waters continue to rise.

01:21Eason Chun and Chris Gorin for Taiwan Plus.

Category

Transcript

Recommended