China's Worst Fear: Can America Turn Taiwan into a Submarine Power?
Zachary Keck [2]
Even as they tussle over trade, China and the United States are entering into a more under-the-radar dispute over Taiwan.
Last week, the State Department approved a marketing license that allows U.S. defense companies to explore selling Taiwan technology it needs to build submarines. The approval was reported by Taiwanese media outlets [3] who cited Maj. Gen. Chen Chung-chi, a Ministry of National Defense spokesman. Sidney Lin, a spokesperson for Taiwan’s president, also confirmed the news. The United States itself refused to confirm the reports, according to Reuters [4]. Even if the United States took this step—which seems extremely likely—it is merely a first step in a long process. To actually transfer technology to Taiwan, each U.S. defense firm would still need to obtain export permits.
Source URL (retrieved on April 16, 2018):
http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/chinas-worst-fear-can-america-turn-taiwan-submarine-power-25374
