China: October 19, 2004

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The Taiwanese defense minister announced that China could shut down Taiwan's ports with only 13 submarines, and that China currently has a force of  86 subs (although 46 are quite old.) Taiwan is buying 12 P-3 submarine hunting aircraft, and eight modern subs, to be used for hunting down and destroying Chinese subs. However, anti-submarine warfare technology is changing, with sensors and lightweight torpedoes carried by helicopters and UAVs, seen as the sub killers of the future. But Taiwan still wants eight subs, equipped with superior American underwater sensors, to hunt down the rather noisy Chinese subs. The American technology was well proven during the Cold War against the Russian type subs that currently equip the Chinese navy.