Reuters:
TAIPEI, Oct 11 – The stepped up intensity of Chinese naval patrols near Taiwan since August is putting a “heavy burden” on the island’s aging frigate fleet, which is struggling to maintain combat readiness, the Taiwanese defence ministry said on Tuesday.
China, which claims democratically ruled Taiwan as its own territory, carried out war games near the island in August responding to a Taipei visit by U.S. House speaker Nancy Pelosi, and has maintained an increased military presence since then.
While Taiwan is spending billions of dollars on new warships, submarines, missiles and fighter jets, much of the equipment now in service is decades-old, presenting a huge challenge in dealing with China’s military activities.
In a report to parliament seeking budget approval for a new class of frigate, Taiwan’s defence ministry said that the number of Chinese ships regularly patrolling in waters close to Taiwan had doubled to between four and five a day.
China had expanded the area in which the ships operate from “time to time” patrols in the Taiwan Strait to regularly sending them into the waters off southwest and northern Taiwan, it said.
“The navy must send corresponding forces to monitor every day, and send additional forces to respond depending on the threat level, which is causing a heavy burden on some older ships.”
Taiwan’s navy only has 26 main combat ships, including six Chi Yang-class frigates that have been in operation for three decades, have old equipment and are increasingly hard to maintain safely, the ministry said.
