The US and Vietnam have both responded to President Ma Ying-jeou’s trip to Taiping Island.
The disputed island in the South China Sea is administered by Taiwan but claimed by China, the Philippines, and Vietnam.
Christine Hsueh, chief of the foreign ministry’s Department of North American Affairs, said Thursday that the US has reaffirmed ties with Taiwan. She said that channels of communication with the US remain open, and that Taiwan had told the US of Ma’s planned visit in advance.
Local media report that the US has expressed disappointment over Ma’s visit. But Hsueh quoted a State Department spokesperson as saying that US-Taiwan relations remain firm despite differing views about the visit.
Meanwhile, Vietnam has urged Ma to cancel his planned visit. Vietnam’s representative to Taiwan, Tran Duy Hai, went to the foreign ministry Thursday morning.
Tran met with the ministry’s chief of Asia-Pacific affairs, Elliott Charng, to assert Vietnamese claims of sovereignty over the island. Charng responded by reiterating Taiwan’s sovereignty over island groups in the South China Sea.