Taiwan minister makes rare trip to disputed South China Sea island

A Taiwanese government minister has made a rare visit to a Taiwan-controlled island in the hotly contested South China Sea, as the coast guard held drills including a simulated boarding of a suspect vessel.

Taiwan’s Ocean Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling talks with coast guard personnel taking part in the Huan Kuang military exercise on April 14, 2026. File photo: Kuan Bi-ling, via Facebook.

Taiping island, also known as Itu Aba, is the largest in the disputed Spratly archipelago, which is also claimed by China, the Philippines and Vietnam.

Ocean Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling visited Taiping on Tuesday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement on Wednesday.

Kuan is the first Taiwanese government minister to set foot on the island in seven years, Taiwan’s Central News Agency reported.

Taiwan’s coast guard held exercises during Kuan’s visit, including armed special forces practice boarding a suspicious cargo ship that had failed to respond to calls.

In another drill, coast guard personnel carried out a humanitarian emergency rescue operation.

The defence ministry also dispatched a C-130 transport aircraft to join the exercises.

Taiwan flag aboard the island’s coast guard vessel. Photo: Kuan Bi-ling, via Facebook.

To assert its claim on Taiping, Taiwan has installed a solar-powered lighthouse, an airstrip and a pier.

The island covers about 0.51 square kilometres (0.19 square miles) and most of its inhabitants work for the coast guard.

Taiwan has rejected a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, which was brought by the Philippines against China over the South China Sea.

The tribunal found China’s claims to almost the entire waterway had no legal basis.

It also stated that Taiping was legally a “rock” and not entitled to its own exclusive economic zone, undermining Taiwanese claims to waters surrounding the island.

Taiwan’s government rejected the court’s ruling, saying it “severely jeopardised” Taiwan’s rights.

It said the judgement has no legally binding force since the tribunal did not formally invite Taipei to take part in its proceedings or solicit its views.