ISTANBUL

Amid continued Chinese naval exercises near the island, Taiwan on Thursday launched its first home-built submarine, the Narwhal.

“Today will go down in history,” Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said at a ceremony held in the southern city of Kaohsiung city.

This is Taiwan’s first Indigenous Defense Submarine (IDS), which Tsai said “used to be considered mission impossible."

“But it is now a reality,” she added.

Authorities exposed only the bow of the submarine while the torpedo tubes and other critical components were covered with a Taiwanese flag, according to Focus Taiwan News.

Tsai said the launch of the home-built submarine was “crucial” to achieve "defense autonomy."

Built by CSBC Corp. at the Taiwan shipyard in Kaohsiung, Tsai said submarines “are crucial in the navy's efforts to develop asymmetric combat capabilities and other key strategies.”

Sandra Oudkirk, head of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), also attended the event.

The self-ruled island nation is expected to have three combat-ready submarines ready by 2025 and four by 2027. They include two existing Chien Lung-class (Sword Dragon) submarines bought from the Netherlands in the 1980s.

During the 1970s, the island nation bought two World War II-era submarines from the US which are now being used for training purposes.

The Chinese military held drills around Taiwan to deter the “arrogance” of “separatists,” Beijing said on Wednesday.

“Chinese People's Liberation Army's (PLA) action to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity will never stop as long as the ‘Taiwan independence’ separatists continue provocation,” said Zhu Fenglian, spokeswoman for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council.

China considers Taiwan its “breakaway province” while Taipei has maintained its independence since 1949.