The government plans to add a lighthouse to Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島), part of the Spratly Islands (Nansha Islands, 南沙群島) in the South China Sea, where it is expanding a runway and building a port.
“The light it provides will launch the South China Sea Peace Initiative,” an official familiar with the government’s South China Sea policies said.
The official, who requested anonymity, said the design and construction of the lighthouse by CECI Engineering Consultants Inc Taiwan (台灣世曦工程顧問公司) was commissioned by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, which would verify that the work is on schedule in July next year, or in 2016, if construction is delayed.
Photo: Tsao Po-Yen, Taipei Times
The project’s completion would be significant, the official said, and a ceremony would take place.
The possibility of “President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) attending the ceremony on the island in person” is not excluded, the source said.
The official also said that as China, Vietnam and the Philippines all have competing claims in the area, with some fairly close to the site, the height and “nominal range” of the lighthouse would be adjusted according to suggestions from relevant agencies, to avoid provocation.
Photo: CNA
China decided to build lighthouses on five reefs in the disputed Spratlys and the Paracel Islands (Xisha Islands, 西沙群島), this year, which the US called threatening.
Taiwan is developing infrastructure, said the official, which includes improving runways to accommodate C-130 transport and P-3C marine patrol aircraft.
As for construction of the port, the ships rented to transport caissons and concrete structures to anchor the wharf were found to be Chinese-owned, which sparked controversy and in the end caused the transportation of materials to be halted. However, the ministry has been considering other alternatives and plans to restart and complete the port’s construction as soon as possible.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Yu-fang (林郁方) said the decision to erect a lighthouse on Itu Aba Island was an olive branch to neighboring countries, a declaration of peace, since a lighthouse would have a positive effect on rescue efforts at sea.
While there are more Philippine and Vietnamese vessels than Taiwanese in the waters near Itu Aba Island, the lighthouse is a political move calling for peace, he said.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) said that the decision to build the lighthouse was also a political message.
As the nation has Coast Guard Administration personnel stationed on the island, it is important to ensure sovereignty over the island, Chiu said, adding that he hoped the Ma administration would propose concrete measures to provide sufficient manpower, equipment and logistical support to maintain defenses on the island.
The CIA has a message for Chinese government officials worried about their place in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) government: Come work with us. The agency released two Mandarin-language videos on social media on Thursday inviting disgruntled officials to contact the CIA. The recruitment videos posted on YouTube and X racked up more than 5 million views combined in their first day. The outreach comes as CIA Director John Ratcliffe has vowed to boost the agency’s use of intelligence from human sources and its focus on China, which has recently targeted US officials with its own espionage operations. The videos are “aimed at
STEADFAST FRIEND: The bills encourage increased Taiwan-US engagement and address China’s distortion of UN Resolution 2758 to isolate Taiwan internationally The Presidential Office yesterday thanked the US House of Representatives for unanimously passing two Taiwan-related bills highlighting its solid support for Taiwan’s democracy and global participation, and for deepening bilateral relations. One of the bills, the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, requires the US Department of State to periodically review its guidelines for engagement with Taiwan, and report to the US Congress on the guidelines and plans to lift self-imposed limitations on US-Taiwan engagement. The other bill is the Taiwan International Solidarity Act, which clarifies that UN Resolution 2758 does not address the issue of the representation of Taiwan or its people in
US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo on Friday expressed concern over the rate at which China is diversifying its military exercises, the Financial Times (FT) reported on Saturday. “The rates of change on the depth and breadth of their exercises is the one non-linear effect that I’ve seen in the last year that wakes me up at night or keeps me up at night,” Paparo was quoted by FT as saying while attending the annual Sedona Forum at the McCain Institute in Arizona. Paparo also expressed concern over the speed with which China was expanding its military. While the US
SHIFT: Taiwan’s better-than-expected first-quarter GDP and signs of weakness in the US have driven global capital back to emerging markets, the central bank head said The central bank yesterday blamed market speculation for the steep rise in the local currency, and urged exporters and financial institutions to stay calm and stop panic sell-offs to avoid hurting their own profitability. The nation’s top monetary policymaker said that it would step in, if necessary, to maintain order and stability in the foreign exchange market. The remarks came as the NT dollar yesterday closed up NT$0.919 to NT$30.145 against the US dollar in Taipei trading, after rising as high as NT$29.59 in intraday trading. The local currency has surged 5.85 percent against the greenback over the past two sessions, central
RSS