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Taiwanese navy receives amphibious ship in self-sufficiency defence drive
- Military watercraft sports big guns, can be used to land troops, boost supply lines
- Yushan is the latest piece in push to grow Taiwan’s defence industry
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Taiwan’s navy took delivery on Friday of an amphibious ship that can be used to land troops and strengthen supply lines to vulnerable islands.
The domestically built vessel is part of President Tsai Ing-wen’s defence self-sufficiency push.
The 10,600-tonne Yushan, named after Taiwan’s tallest mountain, is the latest addition in Tsai’s ambitious programme to modernise the armed forces amid increased pressure from mainland China, which claims the island as its own.
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Speaking at the delivery ceremony in the southern port city of Kaohsiung, Tsai said the military watercraft was a testament to Taiwan’s efforts to boost production of its own warships and achieve the goal of “national defence autonomy”.
“When it comes to China’s military threats, only by strengthening our self-defence capabilities can there be true peace,” she said.
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“It is our constant policy and determination to implement national defence autonomy so that the military has the best equipment to defend the country.”
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