Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen pledged Tuesday to upgrade its military capabilities in a bid to counter China's growing threats. The island nation will build its own submarines, the president announced during her visit to a submarine at the southern naval port of Zuoying, about 215 miles from the capital, Taipei.

"Strengthening underwater combat capabilities is most needed in Taiwan's defense," Tsai said, according to Reuters. "This is a problem everyone recognizes," she added. "We have been unable to solve this in the past. As commander of the armed forces, I am determined to solve this problem."

The comments come as tensions between Taiwan and China escalated over Beijing's claim to most of the South China Sea, through which over $5 trillion of maritime trade passes every year. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan also have conflicting claims to the South China Sea.

"Making a submarine isn't the problem," Gao Chung-hsing, vice president of the National Chung-shan Institute of Technology, a quasi-defense ministry agency responsible for military research and development, told Reuters. "It is making what kind of submarine that is the problem."

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Taiwan will have to rely on foreign technology to build an advanced submarine as it has never built something like this before, defense experts said.

Taiwan's defense ministry says China has more than 1,000 missiles directed at the island, posing a threat to the country and forcing it to build its military. China is the world's third biggest military after the U.S. and Russia with roughly 2.3 million soldiers and 3,000 war planes.

While Taiwan is also looking toward fresh arms sales by the United States, the island announced last week it will boost its armed forces by purchasing stealth fighters and vertical/short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) aircraft. Washington's decision to work with Taiwan toward a new arms package has angered China.

China and the U.S. continue to be against each other as Beijing claims Washington's continued interference in the South China Sea triggered conflict in the region.

Last week, Taiwan raised concerns over China's accelerated military development and recent activities by its military aircraft and ships near the disputed islands in the South China Sea.