A new type of corvette

The Republic of China has a new corvette. The iconic 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray or the new supercharged Z06 is probably what you envision, but the Chinese corvette, delivered in December, 2014, is a bit larger. It weighs in at 500 tons and can cruise in excess of 40 knots (46 miles per hour) with a crew of 41. The Tuo Jiang, called the “carrier killer,” is a new generation warship, and is the first of 12 “Wave Piercing Catamarans” to be purchased by the island of Taiwan. Armed with 16 missiles, it will boost Taiwan’s defense capabilities against its massive neighbor, mainland China, the communist nation known as the People’s Republic of China. A corvette is the smallest class of vessel to be a proper warship. Above the size of a corvette class is the frigate, destroyer, cruiser, and the largest is the aircraft carrier.

For clarification, here is a little about Taiwan: Taiwan is an island governed by the Republic of China, which was established in 1912 in mainland China. Formerly known as “Formosa,” Taiwan was primarily inhabited by Taiwanese aborigines until the Dutch and Spanish settled there in the 17th century. During that time, the Han Chinese began immigrating and established the “Kingdom of Tungning”, and in 1662 the Dutch and the Dutch East India Company were expelled by the Han. The Qing dynasty (1644 to 1912) of mainland China defeated the Han in 1683, and annexed Taiwan to mainland China.

In 1895 Taiwan was ceded to Japan as part of the “Treaty of Shimonoseki,” which also gave independence and autonomy to Korea. After Japan’s surrender in 1945 that ended World War II, the Republic of China gained control of Taiwan from Japan. Republic of China leader Chiang Kai-shek evacuated his Nationalist party to Taiwan in 1949 after a series of defeats by the Chinese Communist Party led by Mao Zedong. Some 2 million people were evacuated from the mainland to Taiwan. The Republic of China government took many national treasures and much of China’s gold reserves to the island nation. The communist People’s Republic of China was founded on Oct. 1 that year in the mainland.

So, now we have the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan, and the mainland’s People’s Republic of China (PRC), with the latter expanding its military presence in the area by building artificial islands on the Spratly Islands in the Strait of Taiwan area of the South China Sea. The archipelago is also claimed by Taiwan, Vietnam and the Philippines, and is one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. China has deployed fighter jets over the area, which has potential oil and gas reserves, and is rich in fish. The main concern here is that China has built a runway on one of the artificial islands, and placement of missiles permanently placed in concrete. Satellite imagery shows the expanded runway capable of handling military aircraft in the disputed area.

The U.S. is concerned that China is using the reefs to expand its military presence in the area, according to the New York Times. China and Taiwan are separated by only 220 kilometers in the Strait of Taiwan, and 130 at its narrowest point, which puts onus on Taiwan to update and upgrade its defense capability.

Taiwan’s Navy has a primary mission to defend its territories and sea lanes that surround Taiwan against a blockade, invasion, or attack by the Peoples Republic of China. Taiwan has purchased frigates from France, submarines and four destroyers from the Netherlands. The fleet fills out its capability with minesweepers, support ships, patrol ships, and various aircraft, to patrol the sea lanes around the island. Early this year, Taiwan began plans to order three air defense catamaran corvettes, expected to be fitted with surface to air missiles. With a national policy of implementing a self-sustaining defense, Taiwan’s Minister of Defense Yen Ming says “The Tuo Jiang is the fastest and most powerful vessel of its kind in Asia. With the completion of the new generation warship, Taiwan’s naval combat capabilities have reached a milestone.”

Taiwan is a member of the World Trade Organization and is the 21st largest economy in the world, with its high tech industry playing a key role in global economy. Freedom of the press, public education, economic freedom, and public education ranks Taiwan highly in world politics. Of note, the Republic of China was a founding member of the United Nations (1945) and held a seat on the Security Council until 1971 when it was replaced by the Peoples Republic of China. Taiwan has not been accepted as a member of the U.N. since then. Permanent members of the U.N. Security Council are China, France, Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

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Jack Evensizer is a resident of Dalton Gardens.