The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday confirmed a report that the government is to invite foreign journalists based in Taiwan to visit Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島) in the South China Sea, in an effort show them that Itu Aba is an island, not a rock.
“Planning for such a visit is well underway. The ministry will announce more details about the visit at an opportune time,” ministry spokesperson Eleanor Wang (王珮玲) said, without giving any further information.
Wang made the remarks about an hour after the Chinese-language Apple Daily reported that the Department of International Information Services invited foreign reporters based in Taiwan to visit Itu Aba Island on Wednesday next week.
Photo: CNA
Academics and government officials are also expected to join the trip, the report said.
The report quoted an unidentified ministry official as saying that President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration hopes the visit can help tilt in Taiwan’s favor a pending verdict on the Philippines’ arbitration case in The Hague over its territorial dispute with China.
The Philippines argued during a hearing at the UN tribunal in November last year that Itu Aba Island was simply a “rock” because it lacked water and an environment to grow plants.
Manila’s argument prompted Ma to ignore US criticism and make a trip to Itu Aba Island in January, where he reiterated the Republic of China’s (ROC) sovereignty over the land mass and its status as an island.
When asked for comment yesterday, Ma, who is in Belize on a diplomatic visit, said he hopes visits by government officials or journalists to Itu Aba Island would become a normal occurrence.
“As weather plays a decisive factor in visits to Itu Aba Island, we will not be able to know whether the trip is possible until we are close to the planned departure day. So everything is still being planned,” Ma said.
Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lin (林永樂), who is accompanying the president on his Central American trip, said the ministry began follow-up planning after Ma’s visit to Itu Aba in January.
“However, we have yet to set a date, but we do hope that we could have journalists visit Itu Aba Island at an opportune time, so that people can have a clearer understanding of the situation there,” Lin said.
In stark contrast to its strongly worded response to Ma’s Itu Aba Island visit, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) yesterday said that it has noted the reports in the press.
It did not elaborate.
Additional reporting by CNA
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