ABSTRACT
I have been asked to provide a comprehensive assessment of Taiwan as a sea power. In a fully Mahanian sense, this would include all aspects of the maritime affairs of the Republic of China (ROC). I propose instead to concentrate primarily on naval matters. Suffice it to say that the ROC possesses under its flag a significant mercantile marine of 640 vessels of 12,400,000 tons gross. This represents a smaller fleet than those of South Korea or the United Kingdom, but a bigger fleet than of France or the Netherlands. It is about the same size in tonnage as that of Italy. (The figures come from the Firplay Organization quoted in Jane’s Fighting Ships 2001-2, which is the source for the rest of this chapter.) Taiwan has one of the world’s major shipbuilding industries. She also has, however, one of the world’s major navies, a not inconsiderable achievement for a country of her size.
