By J.R. Wu br / br / TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou flew to Itu Aba island in the disputed South China Sea on Thursday to reaffirm Taipei’s sovereignty over the outpost, ignoring criticism from Washington over the trip.br / br / Ma’s one-day visit to Itu Aba comes amid growing worldwide concern over rising tensions in the South China Sea, especially in the wake of Beijing’s rapid creation of seven man-made islands in the Spratly archipelago.br / br / The Taiwanese Defence Ministry told Reuters that Ma had departed for Itu Aba.
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China reacted with caution to the stunning victory by Tsai Ing-wen and her Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), with an editorial in the state-run Xinhua news agency stating that there was “no denying that the DPP’s return rule poses grave challenges to cross-strait relations”.
Some or all of their surrounding waters as well as the Spratly Islands may also be claimed by Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei.
“The Taiping Island is an inherent part of the Republic of China’s territory”, Charles Chen, spokesman of the presidential office, said in a statement Wednesday, using the official name for Taiwan.
The Philippines refers to the South China Sea as the “West Philippine Sea”, emphasizing that parts of the water fall under its exclusive economic zone as allowed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Both Taiwan and China claim most of the South China Sea, which routes more than $5 trillion worth of commercial shipping each year.
Beijing deems Taiwan a wayward province to be retaken by force if necessary.
Song Yann-huei (宋燕輝), a research fellow at the Institute of European and American Studies at Academia Sinica in Taipei, also supported Ma’s decision. “You are not allowed to participate in the multilateral dispute mechanism”.
Asked to comment on Ma’s planned visit, the mainland’s Taiwan Affairs Office reiterated that China and Taiwan had a common duty to protect Chinese sovereignty in the waterway.
China has appeared unfazed by Taiwan’s upgrading work on Itu Aba.
Tsai will take office in May.
He said the objective of the trip was to visit Taiwanese personnel based there, ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday.
“Ma will demonstrate that facilities on the island, like the hospital, provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief”, he said.
Itu Aba was now the fourth largest island in the Spratlys after Mischief Reef, Fiery Cross Reef and Subi Reef.
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About 180 people live on the island which saw its last presidential visit in 2008, majority coastguard personnel.
