Taiwan's Defense Ministry displayed Wednesday for the first time to foreign media, including The Yomiuri Shimbun, a live-fire exercise involving
its new Kidd-class destroyer, recently purchase from the United States.
The exercise in the Taiwan Strait was apparently aimed at demonstrating Taiwan's determination to defend the island from China following increased Chinese naval activity in the sea around Taiwan, ministry sources said.
The exercise involved a fleet comprising the newest destroyer, Tsoying, three frigates and other vessels.
It included a simulated response to a port being blockaded by mines laid by the Chinese Navy, as well as, antisubmarine operations involving antisubmarine
aircraft responding to the approach of a Chinese submarine.
Liu Chih-chien, chief of the fleet command's political operations division, talked up the Taiwan Navy's combatcapabilities, arguing that past drills had been success-
ful in bolstering the navy's confidence it can guarantee security in the Taiwan Strait.
U.S. President George W. Bush approved the sale of Kidd-class destroyers to Taiwan in 2001, and four of the destroyers had been sold to Taiwan by
autumn last year.
The Tsoying is one of Taiwan's largest warships and is equipped with state-of-the-art antiaircraft missiles.
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