Lawmakers in Taiwan have agreed to continue funding the prototype of the country's first domestically made submarine, but the budget for the rest of the project is much less secure.
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00:00A proud day in Taiwan's naval history.
00:07Last year, the launch of Taiwan's first submarine prototype was being celebrated, but now the
00:12entire program of seven vessels is in jeopardy.
00:15For the past few months, lawmakers from both major political parties have gone back and
00:20forth about whether to continue domestic submarine production.
00:24But on Wednesday, legislators agreed that 18 million U.S. dollars would go to continue
00:29funding the first prototype to finish its testing.
00:53The submarine program was initiated by former President Tsai Ing-wen from the ruling Democratic
00:58Progressive Party, or DBP, in 2016, as Taiwan's two active submarines are almost 40 years
01:04old.
01:05But for many lawmakers from the opposition Kuomintang or KMT, the problem stems from
01:10the high cost of building these vessels.
01:13The total proposed cost of Taiwan's submarine program is roughly 7.6 billion U.S. dollars,
01:19and aims to build seven submarines over 13 years.
01:22The challenge now is for Taiwan to approve the next part of the budget for 2026, which
01:27will likely face more opposition from the KMT.
01:31But many supporters of the program say these systems are crucial for Taiwan's defense.
01:47Taiwan reportedly worked with contractors from the U.S., South Korea and the U.K. to
01:52build its first prototype, facing threats from neighboring China, which claims Taiwan
01:57as its own and now has the world's largest navy.
02:00Taipei plans to use the sub to counter Beijing's aggression.
02:04While discussions on how the submarine will be used are ongoing, analysts in Taiwan say
02:08that for the military, the most important priority is to secure funding, and that means
02:13more engagement with lawmakers on all sides.
02:33The prototype submarine, also known as the Haikun, is about halfway through the testing
02:38needed before it can be commissioned.
02:40And while the budget for its future is now secure, the remainder of the fleet remains
02:45in limbo.
02:46Hank Xu and Jaime O'Connor for Taiwan Plus.