The Coast Guard Administration said it has invited former premiers and other top officials to go to Taiping Island on Thursday, weather permitting. The island is the largest of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea and is administered by Kaohsiung County, Taiwan. The islands are also claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam and China.
The coast guard has invited former premiers Hau Pei-tsun and Mao Chi-kuo, the former head of the National Security Council Su Chi, and former foreign minister Jason Hu.
The former officials would visit the island to show Taiwan’s sovereignty. They would testify to the natural resources and that the 1.4 kilometer long island is suitable for human inhabitation. Taiwan refutes claims by the Philippines that Taiping is not an island.
Taiwan wants to make this show of sovereignty before a ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration comes out possibly in May. The Philippines has taken China to court saying that its occupation of the Spratly Islands violates the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).