There have been media reports that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) plans to hold military exercises in August to simulate seizing the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea.
In the past, only Coast Guard Administration (CGA) personnel have been stationed there, but the Ministry of National Defense has dispatched the Republic of China Marine Corps to the islands, nominally for “ex-situ training,” to prevent a Chinese attack under the guise of military drills.
The move is only a temporary measure and not sufficiently proactive. Instead, the government should officially declare sovereignty over the islands and station troops there.
The South China Sea islands have long been Taiwan’s territory, and permanent military forces were stationed on Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島), the largest natural island of the Spratly Islands (Nansha Islands, 南沙群島), to show the nation’s determination to safeguard its sovereignty.
In early 2000, then-president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) replaced the Marine Corps garrison on the island with CGA personnel, hoping to lower tension in the region and as a display of goodwill to Southeast Asian nations.
Over the past 20 years, Taiwan has had three presidents, whose administrations have all adopted a nonmilitary approach to the region and showed a willingness to work with its neighbors to address issues such as smuggling, fishing disputes and humanitarian aid in the hope that those nations would shelve any disputes and engage in joint development.
Taiwan’s neighbors have never acknowledged this peaceful approach, but have instead seen it as Taiwan abandoning its sovereignty claims, weakening its position in international South China Sea-related talks.
Among all the claimant states, Taiwan is the only one that is excluded from international talks, such as those which resulted in the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea.
The administration of President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has continued to use “soft” policies, such as issuing statements and deploying the CGA to protect its sovereignty, but it has not curbed other nations’ political ambitions, as is clear from the PLA’s military expansion in the region and its joint air and sea exercises.
The Philippines has also forcibly expelled fishing boats in its claimed exclusive economic zone, and Vietnamese vessels have sailed into the waters off Itu Aba, as if to provoke Taiwan and challenge its sovereignty claim.
In the paper Challenges Facing Taiwan in the South China Sea, published in October 2016 by the Washington-based think tank Project 2049 Institute, Ian Easton said that “the US should encourage Taiwan to consider the deployment of military personnel to its two main island bases in the South China Sea.”
“If Itu Aba and Pratas are not properly garrisoned in peacetime,” Easton said, they “will be tempting, low-hanging fruit for [China] during the next crisis.”
“If Taiwan does not respond to the PLA’s deployments in the South China Sea, it will send the unhelpful (and untrue) signal that Taiwan is weak and not committed to defending its sovereign territory,” he said.
While Taiwan does not have to engage in an arms race, “verbal foreign policy” and coast guard forces are far from enough to reduce or eliminate neighboring nations’ military hostility.
Faced with precipitous circumstances, Taiwan must adopt more advanced strategic measures, such as reassessing the use of armed forces on the islands.
Only with proactive defense operations will Taiwan gain bargaining chips, draw international attention and make its neighbors realize that attempts to seize the islands would cost them dearly.
Yao Chung-yuan is an adjunct professor and former deputy director of the Ministry of National Defense’s strategic planning department.
Translated by Chang Ho-ming
On Sunday, 13 new urgent care centers (UCC) officially began operations across the six special municipalities. The purpose of the centers — which are open from 8am to midnight on Sundays and national holidays — is to reduce congestion in hospital emergency rooms, especially during the nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year. It remains to be seen how effective these centers would be. For one, it is difficult for people to judge for themselves whether their condition warrants visiting a major hospital or a UCC — long-term public education and health promotions are necessary. Second, many emergency departments acknowledge
Victory in conflict requires mastery of two “balances”: First, the balance of power, and second, the balance of error, or making sure that you do not make the most mistakes, thus helping your enemy’s victory. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has made a decisive and potentially fatal error by making an enemy of the Jewish Nation, centered today in the State of Israel but historically one of the great civilizations extending back at least 3,000 years. Mind you, no Israeli leader has ever publicly declared that “China is our enemy,” but on October 28, 2025, self-described Chinese People’s Armed Police (PAP) propaganda
US President Donald Trump’s seemingly throwaway “Taiwan is Taiwan” statement has been appearing in headlines all over the media. Although it appears to have been made in passing, the comment nevertheless reveals something about Trump’s views and his understanding of Taiwan’s situation. In line with the Taiwan Relations Act, the US and Taiwan enjoy unofficial, but close economic, cultural and national defense ties. They lack official diplomatic relations, but maintain a partnership based on shared democratic values and strategic alignment. Excluding China, Taiwan maintains a level of diplomatic relations, official or otherwise, with many nations worldwide. It can be said that
Lockheed Martin on Tuesday responded to concerns over delayed shipments of F-16V Block 70 jets, saying it had added extra shifts on its production lines to accelerate progress. The Ministry of National Defense on Monday said that delivery of all 66 F-16V Block 70 jets — originally expected by the end of next year — would be pushed back due to production line relocations and global supply chain disruptions. Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said that Taiwan and the US are working to resolve the delays, adding that 50 of the aircraft are in production, with 10 scheduled for flight
RSS