Why Taiwan keeps former Kidd-class destroyers

How long can Taiwan keep its former Kidd-class destroyers in service?

As long as Taiwan needs the hulls, whose numbers remain particularly valuable while China is an acute concern.

Taiwan is expected to retain the former Kidd-class destroyers as long as the navy needs them. Desired vertical-launch or other upgrades may remain delayed, but that does not erase the ships' basic utility. In a tense regional environment dominated by concern about China, available hull numbers carry strategic value of their own. Keeping credible ships in commission remains necessary while an ideal modernization program is out of reach.