Taiwan steps up defense against China

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan’s president on Thursday 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 attended the 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, her office said.

The ships’ commissioning “again sends a clear signal to the world and international society from the people of Taiwan,” Tsai said, according to a text of her speech.

“And that is, we will not back away one step when it comes to safeguarding the Republic of China Taiwan and protecting our democratic way of life,” Tsai said.

The Republic of China is Taiwan’s official name derived from the government established by the Nationalist Party in China, which relocated to the island amid a civil war in 1949.

China claims Taiwan as its own territory, to be conquered by force if necessary, and has recently stepped up its threats by staging military exercises near the island, flying bombers and fighter jets in loops around it and sending its aircraft carrier through the Taiwan Strait.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has said the issue of bringing Taiwan under Beijing’s control cannot be put off indefinitely, but Taipei enjoys strong military and political support from Washington, despite their lack of formal diplomatic ties.