The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) has highlighted a visit by Interior Minister Chen Wei-zen to Taiping Island. The AMTI is a project of US think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies.
The island, which is also known by the name Itu Aba, is governed by Taiwan but subject to claims by Mainland China, the Philippines, and Vietnam.
The Philippines argues that the South China Sea island is uninhabitable and cannot support economic activity. The Philippines says that legally, Taiping Island is a rock, as it fails to meet criteria for an island set out by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
This would mean that the island only comes with territorial waters extending for twelve nautical miles from the shore. Under this interpretation, Taiping Island does not come with an exclusive economic zone.
However, a new feature published on the AMTI website Tuesday includes pictures showing Taiwanese facilities, trees, vegetable plots, animal pens, and a fresh-water well. All were taken during Interior Minister Chen Wei-zen’s visit to the island. According to the feature, the pictures are designed to show Taiwan’s view that the islands have everything necessary to sustain human life.