After U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei in August, China, which claims democratically-ruled Taiwan as its own territory, conducted war drills close to the island and has maintained a heightened military presence ever since.
The aging frigate fleet on the island is straining to maintain combat readiness as a result of the increased frequency of Chinese naval patrols near Taiwan since August, the Taiwanese defense ministry warned on Tuesday (Oct 11).
Taiwan's defense ministry stated that the number of Chinese ships regularly patrolling in waters near Taiwan had increased to between four and five a day in a report to parliament asking for budget approval for a new class of frigate.
Taiwan's navy has only 26 primary combat ships, including six Chi Yang-class frigates that have been in service for three decades, have outdated equipment, and are becoming difficult to keep secure, according to the ministry.
While Taiwan invests billions of dollars in new warships, submarines, missiles, and fighter jets, much of the equipment now in service is decades old, posing a significant difficulty in dealing with China's military activities.
The U.S. built the Chi Yang-class frigates in the 1970s, and Taiwan commissioned them in 1992. The U.S. Navy retired the Knox-class ships in 1994.
According to Taiwan's defense ministry, a new class of anti-submarine and anti-aircraft frigates is being built, but the first ships won't enter service until 2025 at the earliest.
The number of new ships of this type that Taiwan plans to produce beyond 2025 was not disclosed by the ministry.
According to the report, China had increased the range of its ship operations from occasional patrols in the Taiwan Strait to routine dispatches to the waters off Taiwan's southwest and north.
The U.S. Department of Defense says that China has the largest fleet in the world, with 460 ships altogether anticipated to be added by 2030. This includes two aircraft carriers that are already in service and a third that was commissioned in June.
Taiwan and China divided after the Chinese Civil War ended in 1949.
In recent years, Chinese President Xi Jinping has increased diplomatic, economic, and military pressure on Taiwan, and he is a significant ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Xi, China's most authoritarian leader in a generation, is set to win a third term this month and has made Taiwan a centerpiece of his historic "national rejuvenation" initiative.
