The defense ministry has clarified that Taiping Island in the South China Sea is not open to visits by civilians. That’s after four fishing boats sailed to the island to assert Taiwan’s sovereignty claim and were permitted to resupply before sailing home.
The ministry said the island is garrisoned by Coast Guard Administration personnel as a military control area. Ministry official Chung Shu-ming said people such as contractors, national security officials, foreign nationals with expertise in security issues, and academics with security clearance may be permitted to visit the island. But Taiping remains off limits to ordinary members of the public.
Chung said, "At present, the regulations do not permit ordinary members of the public to apply to visit Taiping. But if it is the case that one of our fishing boats or a fishing boat from another country is in need of emergency assistance, that is a different matter. Then it is a case of the coast guard following the procedures for emergency assistance."
Taiping, the largest natural land feature in the disputed Spratly islands, has been in the news after the Hague tribunal ruled two weeks ago that it does not qualify as an island under international law. Taiwan’s government has rejected the ruling, which formed part of the larger verdict on the territorial dispute brought by the Philippines against China.