The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asserted Taiwan’s right to conduct live-fire drills on Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島), following protests from the Philippines, which claims the South China Sea territory as its own.
As Itu Aba is part of the Republic of China, the country has the “right to conduct routine exercises at Taiping and its surrounding waters,” the ministry said in a statement, adding that the government had issued notices beforehand to warn nearby vessels about the drills.
Disputes in the region should be settled peacefully by all parties concerned, and in accordance with international law, the ministry said, citing the government’s basic principle pertaining to issues in the South China Sea.
Photo from Google Maps
The ministry’s statement was issued one day after the Philippine government expressed its “strong objection” to what it described as Taiwan’s “unlawful live-fire drills” off the coast of Itu Aba, known in the Philippines as Ligaw Island.
The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs called the drills on Tuesday and yesterday an “illegal activity” that “raises tensions and complicates the situation in the South China Sea.”
It said Ligaw Island is an “integral part of the Kalayaan Island Group” — or the Spratly Islands (南沙群島) — over which the Philippines claims sovereignty.
Photo courtesy of Hou Chien-an via CNA
Taipei and Manila did not divulge what kind of weapons were used during the two days of live-fire drills.
Itu Aba, the largest among the Spratly Islands, lies 1,600km southwest of Kaohsiung and is administered as part of Kaohsiung’s Cijin District (旗津).
Itu Aba is also claimed by China and Vietnam.
Photo: Reuters
It is one of the two territories controlled by Taiwan in the South China Sea, the other being Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙島), which lies 450km southwest of Kaohsiung.
The Pratas and Itu Aba islands are occupied by Taiwanese Coast Guard personnel trained by the Marine Corps, and quarterly drills are regularly held in both locations.
The military in 2020 said that it would temporarily post marines on Pratas Island amid reports that the Chinese military was planning to conduct drills in the area.
It did not reveal the number of marines deployed when they arrived on the island, or how long they would be garrisoned there.
The Spratly Islands, a group of islands and other natural structures in the South China Sea, are claimed in part or entirely by Taiwan, Brunei, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
LONG FLIGHT: The jets would be flown by US pilots, with Taiwanese copilots in the two-seat F-16D variant to help familiarize them with the aircraft, the source said The US is expected to fly 10 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 jets to Taiwan over the coming months to fulfill a long-awaited order of 66 aircraft, a defense official said yesterday. Word that the first batch of the jets would be delivered soon was welcome news to Taiwan, which has become concerned about delays in the delivery of US arms amid rising military tensions with China. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the initial tranche of the nation’s F-16s are rolling off assembly lines in the US and would be flown under their own power to Taiwan by way
‘OF COURSE A COUNTRY’: The president outlined that Taiwan has all the necessary features of a nation, including citizens, land, government and sovereignty President William Lai (賴清德) discussed the meaning of “nation” during a speech in New Taipei City last night, emphasizing that Taiwan is a country as he condemned China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The speech was the first in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. It is the responsibility of Taiwanese citizens to stand united to defend their national sovereignty, democracy, liberty, way of life and the future of the next generation, Lai said. This is the most important legacy the people of this era could pass on to future generations, he said. Lai went on to discuss
MISSION: The Indo-Pacific region is ‘the priority theater,’ where the task of deterrence extends across the entire region, including Taiwan, the US Pacific Fleet commander said The US Navy’s “mission of deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific theater applies to Taiwan, Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler told the South China Sea Conference on Tuesday. The conference, organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), is an international platform for senior officials and experts from countries with security interests in the region. “The Pacific Fleet’s mission is to deter aggression across the Western Pacific, together with our allies and partners, and to prevail in combat if necessary, Koehler said in the event’s keynote speech. “That mission of deterrence applies regionwide — including the South China Sea and Taiwan,” he
UNPRECEDENTED: In addition to the approved recall motions, cases such as Ma Wen-chun’s in Nantou are still under review, while others lack enough signatures The Central Election Commission (CEC) announced yesterday that a recall vote would take place on July 26, after it approved the first batch of recall motions targeting 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao (高虹安). Taiwan is in the midst of an unprecedented wave of mass recall campaigns, following a civil society push that echoed a call made by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) in January to initiate signature drives aimed at unseating KMT legislators. Under the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法), Taiwanese can initiate a recall of district-elected lawmakers by collecting
RSS