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| Image: Wiki Commons |
By Shannon Tiezzi
Ma Ying-jeou reaffirmed Taiwan’s sovereignty claims but also offered a plan for moving beyond the disputes.
As planned, on Thursday, Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou traveled to Itu Aba, the largest naturally-occurring member of the disputed Spratly Island group in the South China Sea. The stated reason for the trip was to greet the roughly 200 Taiwanese coast guard personnel stationed on the island, the lone feature in the South China Sea controlled by Taiwan.
Ma traveled to Itu Aba (known as Taiping Island in Chinese) on board a C-130 transport plane, making use of the newly-extended airstrip on the island. He arrived around 11 a.m. local time, and was back in Taipei before 6 p.m. Ma was the second Taiwanese president to visit Itu Aba, following a trip in 2008 by Chen Shui-bian.
Ma’s visit functioned as a strong confirmation of Taiwanese control over the island, which is 1,600 kilometers away from the island of Taiwan. As Ma put it in his speech on Itu Aba, he chose to visit the coast guard personnel on Itu Aba “to show the great importance we attach to you and your mission.”
He also used his speech to reemphasize Taiwan’s claims over the South China Sea, which stem from the days when the Republic of China (ROC) governed the entire Chinese mainland. “Whether from the perspective of history, geography, or international law, the Nansha (Spratly) Islands, Shisha (Paracel) Islands, Chungsha (Macclesfield Bank) Islands, and Tungsha (Pratas) Islands, as well as their surrounding waters, are an inherent part of ROC territory and waters,” Ma said. “This is indisputable.”
Read the full story at The Diplomat