Taipei: Taiwan's navy on Friday received a new amphibious warfare ship built in Taiwan as part of President Tsai Ing-push Wen's call for defense self-reliance. The ship could be used to land troops and strengthen supply lines in vulnerable islands.

The 10,600-ton Yu Shan, which bears the name of Taiwan's tallest mountain, is the most recent improvement in Tsai's ambitious plan to update the armed forces in response to increasing pressure from China, which claims sovereignty over the island.

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Tsai said the ship was a testament to Taiwan's efforts to increase production of its warships and to achieve "national defense autonomy" during a delivery ceremony in the southern port city of Kaohsiung.

He argued that true peace can be achieved only by increasing our capacity for self-defense to face military threats from China. To ensure that the military has the best possible equipment to defend the nation, national defense autonomy is an ongoing policy and goal of ours.

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In response to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taipei last month, China held war games close to Taiwan. Since then Chinese military activity has continued at a very slow pace.

The ship is equipped with an anti-aircraft cannon for use against both air and surface targets, anti-aircraft missiles and rapid-fire Phalanx close-range anti-aircraft and anti-missile guns. It was created by the state-backed CSBC Corporation Taiwan.

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According to CSBC President Cheng Wen-lung, in addition to serving as an amphibious warfare vessel with room for helicopters and landing craft, it is the "main transport" for the islands of Taiwan off the coast of China and South China. Is. Sea. role", which has long been seen as a potential target of China in the event of war.

Despite the fact that Taiwan's main international arms supplier is the United States, Tsai has supported the domestic arms industry in an effort to make Taiwan as independent as possible.

Although expensive items such as the new and upgraded F-16 have helped Taiwan's air force, Tsai is also focusing on the Navy, with submarines in production and a fleet of highly efficient stealth corvettes to be launched in 2020.