On the 30th, the Blue House denied the foreign media reports that seven countries, including South Korea and the United States, were secretly procuring the technology, manpower and parts necessary for Taiwan’s submarine construction.
A key Blue House official met with reporters at the Chunchugwan on the afternoon of the day and said, “It’s not true.” said. He also said that the visit to China by the Blue House National Security Office chief Suh Hoon was not related to the Reuters report.
Earlier, Reuters reported on the 29th (local time) that “Taiwan is building a modern diesel-powered submarine to fight against China” and “at least seven countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and South Korea, provided technology, parts, and human resources.” did.
According to the report, the United States provided Taiwan with key technologies necessary for manufacturing such as submarine combat system components and sonar. The British government has approved the export of parts, technology and related software to Taiwan by companies with submarine technology over the past three years. In addition, it is reported that a former British Navy admiral played a key role in recruiting professional personnel. In particular, Taiwan succeeded in hiring engineers and former naval officers from five countries: South Korea, Australia, India, Spain and Canada. Reuters communication said.
Taiwan officially launched a submarine-building project in 2017. The Taiwanese government announced that the state-owned shipyard CSBC started construction last year and plans to deliver one out of eight ships by 2025. The budget to be invested in the project is estimated at up to 16 billion dollars (about 19 trillion won).
China strongly opposed the report. “The Taiwanese authorities are colluding with outside forces to build submarines,” a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.
Kim Hye-rin, reporter for Donga.com sinnala8@donga.com
