The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday confirmed that a dredging project to allow larger vessels to dock at a wharf serving Taiwan-controlled Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島) has been completed.
However, the coast guard did not respond when asked if President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) would preside over a planned opening ceremony for the renovated wharf.
The CGA’s confirmation came following a report in the Chinese-language United Daily News earlier yesterday, which included a call from Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Charles Chen (陳以信) for Tsai to reaffirm the nation’s sovereignty by visiting the disputed island.
Photo courtesy of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Johnny Chiang’s office
Chen, a member of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, said that Tsai should follow the examples of former presidents Chen Shiu-bian (陳水扁) and Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and travel to the island for the opening ceremony.
The NT$1.7 billion (US$54.4 million) project to dredge sediment and deepen navigation channels would allow 4,000-tonne coast guard vessels to make routine patrols in the waters around the island, the CGA said in a statement.
The renovation, which was completed on Oct. 30 last year and passed the required inspections on Jan. 20, also included reinforced typhoon-related disaster prevention measures, it said.
Itu Aba Island is the largest of the naturally occurring Spratly Islands (Nansha Islands, 南沙群島) in the South China Sea, 1,600km southwest of Kaohsiung, and is administered as part of the city’s Cijin District (旗津).
The island hosts about 200 members of the coast guard trained by the Marine Corps, who regularly hold drills.
The island is also claimed by Vietnam, China and the Philippines.
It is one of two territories controlled by Taiwan in the South China Sea, the other being the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島), which lie 450km southwest of Kaohsiung.
Lawmakers on the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee and Internal Administration Committee in November last year said that they plan to visit Itu Aba Island to reassert the nation’s sovereignty.
The last time a trip to Itu Aba Island was made by lawmakers was in 2016.
Visiting the island requires the lawmakers to take an air force C-130 transport plane and to plan a backup airport in case of an emergency, they said.
The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) is to tighten rules for candidates running for public office, requiring them to declare that they do not hold a Chinese household registration or passport, and that they possess no other foreign citizenship. The requirement was set out in a draft amendment to the Enforcement Rules of the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法 ) released by the ministry on Thursday. Under the proposal, candidates would need to make the declaration when submitting their registration forms, which would be published in the official election bulletin. The move follows the removal of several elected officials who were
The Republic of China (ROC) is celebrating its 114th Double Ten National Day today, featuring military parades and a variety of performances and speeches in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei. The Taiwan Taiko Association opened the celebrations with a 100-drummer performance, including young percussionists. As per tradition, an air force Mirage 2000 fighter jet flew over the Presidential Office as a part of the performance. The Honor Guards of the ROC and its marching band also heralded in a military parade. Students from Taichung's Shin Min High School then followed with a colorful performance using floral imagery to represent Taiwan's alternate name
FOUR DESIGNATED AREAS: Notices were issued for live-fire exercises in waters south and northwest of Penghu, northeast of Keelung and west of Kaohsiung, they said The military is planning three major annual exercises across the army, navy and air force this month, with the navy’s “Hai Chiang” (海強, “Sea Strong”) drills running from today through Thursday, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The Hai Chiang exercise, which is to take place in waters surrounding Taiwan, would feature P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft and S-70C anti-submarine helicopters, the ministry said, adding that the drills aim to bolster the nation’s offshore defensive capabilities. China has intensified military and psychological pressure against Taiwan, repeatedly sending warplanes and vessels into areas near the nation’s air defense identification zone and across
A Chinese takeover of Taiwan would severely threaten the national security of the US, Japan, the Philippines and other nations, while global economic losses could reach US$10 trillion, National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) wrote in an article published yesterday in Foreign Affairs. “The future of Taiwan is not merely a regional concern; it is a test of whether the international order can withstand the pressure of authoritarian expansionism,” Lin wrote in the article titled “Taiwan’s Plan for Peace Through Strength — How Investments in Resilience Can Deter Beijing.” Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) intent to take Taiwan by force
RSS