Taiwan's president has commissioned a pair of guided missile frigates that are expected to boost the island's ability to counter Chinese submarines amid rising military threats from Beijing.
President Tsai Ing-wen's office says she attended Thursday's ceremony for the Ming Chuan and Feng Chia at a navy base in the southern port of Kaohsiung and reiterated Taiwan's determination to resist all threats. The Perry class vessels were formerly part of the US Navy, and though built in the 1980s, have been updated with cutting-edge technologies including sonar and undersea warfare combat systems.
Tsai warned that in addition to its traditional military threats, misinformation intended to destabilize Taiwanese society is being spread by China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory to be conquered by force if necessary.