Not surprising that EU countries are doing this, but most would've thought they'd be more covert about it and not let Taipei tell the world about it, especially China.
ReutersQuote:
Taiwan says European countries helping with submarine project
Fri., April 2, 2021, 6:35 p.m.·2 min read
TAIPEI (Reuters) - European countries are providing help for Taiwan's indigenous submarine project, the island's defence ministry said, in a rare admission that the sensitive programme is not getting assistance solely from the United States.
Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, has worked for years to revamp its submarine force, some of which dates back to World War Two. It is no match for China's fleet, which includes vessels capable of launching nuclear weapons.
The U.S. government in 2018 gave the green light for U.S. manufacturers to participate in the programme, a move widely seen as helping Taiwan secure major components, though it is unclear which U.S. companies are involved.
In a statement late Friday, Taiwan's Defence Ministry denied a report in U.S.-based publication The National Interest, which cited Taiwanese news reports from 2019, that North Korea had discussed helping Taiwan with the submarines.
"In the development of our submarines there has never been, there is not now and will never be any contact with North Korea; assistance is all provided by important countries in Europe and the United States," it said, without giving details.
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