Navy Captain Feng Yun-sheng (鳳運昇) affirmed that Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島) is an island, not just a rock, when he welcomed three naval ships to the South China Sea island late last month, a Military News Agency report said.
Feng, the commander of Nansha Command, invited crew of the “Fleet of Friendship” led by Rear Admiral Wang Kuo-chiang (王國強) to drink fresh water drawn from the island’s Well No. 5.
The Panshi, which is the nation’s largest naval vessel, the Tian-Dan and the Wu Chang were on their way back to Taiwan after a visit to Palau, the Solomon Islands and the Marshall Islands as part of the navy’s 48-day training cruise in the Pacific Ocean for midshipmen.
Photo: Lo Tien-pin, Taipei Times
Feng said that the fresh water was evidence that Itu Aba is an island, according to the report published on Wednesday last week.
Feng’s assertion about the island was considered noteworthy, because the case the Philippines filed against China at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands, in 2013, centered on Manila’s contention that Itu Aba and other islands claimed by China in the South China Sea are only rocks with no fresh water or arable soil and are unfit for human habitation, so therefore no sovereignty claim could be made within their 12 nautical-mile (22km) territorial waters.
The court in 2016 ruled in the Philippines’ favor, saying that Itu Aba, which Taiwan also claims, is a rock and therefore not entitled to an exclusive economic zone.
Itu Aba, which is 1,600km south of Taiwan, is the largest natural island in the Spratly Islands (Nansha Islands, 南沙群島) chain. The Republic of China has controlled it since 1946.
The government insists that Itu Aba can sustain human habitation and is therefore not a rock.
The military has an airstrip, dairy farm and a hospital on it.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese