Taiwan's largest patrol vessel was handed over to authorities in charge of coast guard on the 9th, as Chinese authorities' vessels become more active in waters around Taiwan.
This is the first time that the president and vice president will attend a commemorative ceremony together, and it appears that this is intended to show that they will not bow to pressure from China.
The patrol boat has a total length of 126.3 meters and a displacement of over 5,000 tons, making it the largest vessel owned by Taiwan's Marine Patrol.
Equipped with multiple rocket launchers, the deck can take off and land helicopters, and in the event of an emergency, it will be under military command and take part in battle.
The handover ceremony, held at a shipyard in the southern city of Kaohsiung, was attended by President Tsai Ing-wen and Vice President Lai Kiyotoku, who will become the next president in May.
In her speech, President Tsai said, ``I would like to express my gratitude to the members of the Coast Guard who are working tirelessly on the front lines, firmly defending their positions, and defending coastal territory.''
In the waters surrounding Taiwan, the capsizing accident of a Chinese fishing boat off the coast of Kinmen Island in February has led to increased activity by Chinese authorities' vessels, and on February 27th, a vessel belonging to the Chinese Coast Guard 3 Unusual behavior has been confirmed in which a ship heads north in the sea east of Taiwan's main island and approaches a remote island of Taiwan in the East China Sea.
Two patrol boats of the same type are already deployed at the Maritime Patrol Station, but this was the first time the president and vice president attended the ceremony for the third ship together on the 9th, bowing to Chinese pressure. It seems that the aim is to show an attitude of not doing so.