KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan: Taiwan commissioned the first of a new fleet of coastguard ships on Friday (Dec 11), an advanced catamaran that can be armed with missiles during war, as the island bolsters its defences in the face of what it sees as a growing threat from Beijing.

President Tsai Ing-wen has made military modernisation a priority for the Chinese-claimed island. Beijing has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.