Taiwan minister makes rare visit to disputed South China Sea island for armed drills

Taiwan’s minister responsible for the coast guard has conducted a rare visit to a remote outpost in the South China Sea to oversee training exercises that included an armed boarding operation of a suspicious vessel.

Both Taiwan and mainland China claim sovereignty over the vast majority of the South China Sea. Taiwan maintains administrative control over Itu Aba, located in the disputed Spratly Islands in the southern reaches of the waterway.

The Taiwan Coast Guard stated late Wednesday that Kuan Bi-ling, Minister of the Ocean Affairs Council, visited Itu Aba—which Taiwan calls Taiping Island—the previous day to observe drills focused on “humanitarian assistance, medical evacuation, and marine pollution response.”

Taiwan’s official Central News Agency reported that this was the first visit by a cabinet-level minister to Itu Aba in seven years. The island is also claimed by China, Vietnam, and the Philippines.

During one phase of the exercises, armed coast guard special forces performed a boarding maneuver on a suspicious cargo ship that had failed to respond to radio hails.

“In order to protect the rights of the nation and ensure national security, the cargo vessel was escorted back to Taiping Island for further investigation,” the coast guard said.

The agency released footage showing special forces members, dressed in black tactical gear and heavily armed, entering the bridge of the vessel.

“You have entered waters under the jurisdiction of our country. Please cooperate with the investigation,” one team member told a member of the ship’s crew.

Itu Aba features a runway long enough to accommodate military supply flights from Taiwan. In 2023, Taipei inaugurated a new pier at the site, capable of hosting 4,000-ton patrol vessels.

Despite these upgrades, the island remains lightly defended compared to nearby features controlled by China. Chinese forces have generally left Itu Aba undisturbed.

Beijing has engaged in extensive land reclamation on the South China Sea islets and reefs under its control, constructing major airbases and other military installations. These activities have drawn consistent concern from Washington.

China maintains that it has every right to carry out construction and defense activities on what it considers its sovereign territory.

Taiwan also controls the Pratas Islands in the northern sector of the South China Sea. The Chinese air force and navy operate regularly in that vicinity to emphasize Beijing’s territorial claims over Taiwan.

The South China Sea serves as a critical maritime corridor through which billions of dollars in global trade pass annually, as well as a vital fishing zone. It is also believed to contain significant untapped energy reserves.