Taiwan launches newest 600-ton coast guard vessel Yong Kang

Taipei, June 2 (CNA) The latest domestically designed and built 600-ton class Coast Guard Administration (CGA) vessel, Yong Kang (永康艦), was formally launched by Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) in Kaohsiung on Sunday as part of Taiwan's efforts to beef up its coastal patrol capabilities amid rising tensions with China.

During a ceremony held in the southern Taiwan city, Hsiao said the government has pledged to spend US$1.31 billion in building 141 ships of six different types for the CGA between 2018 and 2027.

The Yong Kang is the eighth 600-ton CGA vessel, also known as an Anping-class missile corvette, being launched as part of the project, according to Hsiao.

Yong Kang's launch once again highlighted the determination of Taiwan's government to patrol the seas around the country and to safeguard its people and fishing rights, the vice president said.

The vessel will be responsible for patrolling waters off southern Taiwan during peacetime and serve as a force of defense during wartime, Hsiao added.

The 10-year domestic shipbuilding project has not only boosted the CGA's patrol capabilities but also created thousands of jobs for the local shipbuilding industry while increasing the sector's international competitiveness, she said.

The project includes building four 4,000-ton class patrol vessels, six 1,000-ton class patrol vessels, 12 600-ton class patrol vessels, 17 100-ton class patrol boats, 52 35-ton class patrol boats, and 50 littoral utility boats.

The Kaohsiung ceremony also saw the christening of the CGA's ninth Anping-class missile corvette, the Chang Bin (長濱艦), which once built and delivered, will be deployed to carry out patrol missions off eastern Taiwan, the CGA said.

The launch of the Yong Kang came after the CGA has been busy expelling Chinese counterparts and warships out of waters surrounding Taiwan-controlled Kinmen Islands, off the coast of southeastern China's Fujian Province, following a fatal collision that escalated cross-strait tension in the region.

Chinese official vessels previously seldom traveled into the prohibited waters around Kinmen, which were restricted to non-Taiwanese vessels by Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense beginning in 1992.

Beijing, however, has continued to send vessels into the area as a protest following the fatal incident on Feb. 14 off the coast of Kinmen which killed two Chinese nationals when their boat capsized while under pursuit by Taiwan's Coast Guard.