Former President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday said that he hoped President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) would reconsider her decision to not visit Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島) before her term ends.
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.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers have called on Tsai to visit the island to reaffirm Taiwan’s sovereignty, following the completion of a dredging project to allow larger vessels to dock.
Photo: Reuters
The National Security Bureau has advised Tsai not to visit the island due to difficulties in maintaining the security of the head of state during the visit, amid rising geopolitical conflicts in the South China Sea.
In a Facebook post yesterday, Ma said he disagreed with the assessment, adding that flight safety and security concerns had already existed when he and former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) visited the island.
“If former president Chen and I could handle these issues, so can President Tsai. It is not a technical issue that cannot be resolved,” Ma wrote.
He visited the island about four months before his second term ended in 2016, despite opposition from Taiwan’s allies, as he was determined to visit to declare Taiwan’s sovereignty over the island and deliver the South China Sea Peace Initiative (南海和平倡議), he said, adding that the move contributed to regional peace.
“I have done my part in advising the president and would respect her decision. However, from the perspective of national interests, it is crucial that the president personally inspects Taiping Island to show our clear position on Taiwan’s sovereignty over the island, and to boost the morale of the general public as well as the troops stationed on the island,” Ma said.
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