Taiwan’s New Submarines Can Be Used Asymmetrically to Thwart the CCP’s Invasion Plans

Just how significant an accomplishment it is for Taiwan to design and build its own domestic submarine can’t be overstated.

Taiwan's first locally built submarine "Narwhal" is seen during an unveiling ceremony at the CSBC Corp. shipbuilding company in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on Sept. 28, 2023. Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images

Commentary

Just how significant an accomplishment it is for Taiwan to design and build its own domestic submarine can’t be overstated. However, it also can’t be emphasized enough that Taiwan was forced to build its own submarines because Western countries that had considered selling submarines to Taiwan were cowed by threats from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) into backing out from doing so.