Now is not an appropriate time for President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to visit Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島), due to recent skirmishes between Chinese and Philippine coast guard vessels in the South China Sea, Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said yesterday.
Wu made the remarks after Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ma Wen-chun (馬文君) called on Tsai to visit the Taiwan-controlled island to reaffirm the nation’s sovereignty following the completion of a dredging project on Taiping to allow larger vessels to dock.
Former presidents Chen Shiu- bian (陳水扁) of the Democratic Progressive Party and Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) both visited the island before stepping down, Ma Wen-chun said.
Photo: CNA
Ma Wen-chun, a convener of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, on Tuesday proposed forming a legislative delegation to visit Taiping on May 16.
Asked to comment on the matter at a legislative session yesterday, Wu said that no matter whether Tsai visits, there is no doubt that Taiping is Taiwan’s territory.
Due to skirmishes between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea over the past months, now is not an appropriate time for her to visit, he said.
With the Chinese government sending about 20 warships to patrol the South China Sea on a daily basis, a trip from Tsai could create a negative impression of Taiwan to the international community “as a troublemaker in the region,” he said.
Nevertheless, the central government fully respects the rights of Ma Wen-chun and other committee members to visit Taiping for an inspection tour, Wu said.
The Coast Guard Administration announced the completion of the dredging project to allow larger vessels to dock at a pier serving Taiping earlier this year.
The NT$1.7 billion (US$53.35 million) project to dredge sediment and deepen navigation channels would enable 4,000-tonne coast guard vessels to dock at the island for resupply, it said.
Wu also told reporters that China has built “enormous” military bases on three islands surrounding Taiping, but Taipei is not looking to escalate tensions in the strategic waterway.
“China has already created very enormous South China Sea military bases on the three islands surrounding Taiping — Subi Reef [Jhubi Reef, 渚碧礁], Fiery Cross Reef [Yongshu Reef, 永暑島] and Mischief Reef [Meiji Reef, 美濟礁] — and these are all quite close to our Taiping,” he said.
Taiping, the largest of the Spratly Islands (Nansha Islands, 南沙群島), lies 1,600km southwest of Kaohsiung, and is administered by the city’s Cijin District (旗津). It hosts about 200 coast guard personnel trained by the Marine Corps, and is also claimed by China, the Philippines and Vietnam.
The island has a runway long enough to land military resupply flights from Taiwan, but is lightly defended compared with the nearby Chinese-controlled reefs. Chinese forces generally leave the island alone.
China has carried out extensive land reclamation on territory in the South China Sea, building major air force and other military facilities, causing major concern in Washington and around the region.
China’s air force and navy regularly operate nearby the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島).
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