Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou inaugurated a squadron of missile boats Thursday as he pledged to continue the island's military build-up to offset the perceived military threat from China. The fleet of 10 locally manufactured missile boats joined the navy following a ceremony presided over by Ma at the north-eastern naval base in Suao.
Ma, the initiator of detente with the island's giant neighbour, said tensions with the mainland have eased significantly since he came to power in 2008 but insisted Taiwan needed a deterrent against Beijing which claims the island as part of its territory.
"Unlike the Korean Peninsula where tensions have been escalating, ties across the Taiwan Strait have improved significantly since I took the office nearly three years ago," he said.
"But mainland China remains the biggest threat to Taiwan militarily, therefore we must not relax in pushing for the military build-up," he said. Despite fast-warming ties, Beijing refuses to renounce the use of force if the island declares independence, even though Taiwan has been self-governing since 1949 at the end of a civil war.