Taiping Island Pier Renovation Completed：Will President Tsai Visit？
Summary Report by Taiwan Weekly
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA), Ocean Affairs Council, Executive Yuan, has confirmed that the "Nansha Islands Taiping Island Harbor Dredging and Pier Renovation Project,” which cost approximately NT$1.7 billion (about US$55.3 million), has been completed and passed inspection. The Coast Guard will station a 100-ton patrol boat on Taiping Island. President Tsai Ing-wen's decision regarding whether to resist American pressure and attend the completion ceremony for the island's renovations is eagerly awaited.
Both former presidents Chen Shui-bian and Ma Ying-jeou visited Taiping Island before the end of their terms, asserting sovereignty. Scholars argue that if President Tsai does not visit the island before leaving office in 2024, it may have adverse effects on Taiwan's sovereignty claims over Taiping Island and the South China Sea, especially after the 2016 South China Sea arbitration ruling.
Vietnam and the Philippines, major claimants in the South China Sea, have been increasing their actions. Vietnam is assertively claiming sovereignty over the Paracel and Spratly Islands, conducting rapid construction on the Spratly Islands, and expanding the area of land reclamation, totaling approximately 3.5 square kilometers on 20 features, according to reports. The Philippines is enhancing military cooperation with the United States., seeking joint patrols with the United States and Japan, and challenging China's installations in Scarborough Shoal.
Since taking office in 2016, President Tsai responded to the South China Sea arbitration with the "Four Principles, Five Actions" policy, emphasizing adherence to international law and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). However, Taiwan is still excluded from the first track of the South China Sea security dialogue mechanism.
Chen I-hsin, former Kuomintang (KMT) legislator and presidential spokesman, opined that the Tsai administration has had a passive attitude towards sovereignty claims and operations in the South China Sea. If President Tsai does not visit Taiping Island before the end of her term, it might confirm the failure of the DPP's South China Sea policy, potentially impacting Taiwan's efforts to maintain sovereignty and marine rights in the South China Sea.
Chieh Chung, deputy research fellow at the National Policy Foundation, believes that if President Tsai breaks the precedent of visiting Taiping Island, it may signal an intentional adjustment or abandonment of Taiwan's sovereignty claims. This could raise concerns and affect the already tense cross-strait relations.
Former President Ma Ying-jeou expressed his support for President Tsai's visit to Taiping Island on Facebook, emphasizing the responsibility of the president to safeguard the territory of the Republic of China.
Mr. Ma recounted the historical record of Taiping Island, tracing it back to the Song Dynasty in Chinese history. After World War II in 1945, Taiping Island was recovered by the R.O.C. Navy. For the past 75 years, the R.O.C. government has consistently defended Taiping Island, rejecting and repelling various statements and actions by neighboring countries infringing on Taiwan's sovereignty. Mr. Ma mentioned that when he visited Taiping Island, there were attempts to obstruct and threats of counteraction from a certain direction. He ignored these and took the trip as it was a rightful and reasonable action. There were no subsequent overreactions from the countries concerned around the South China Sea.
The Taiping Island Pier Renovation Project includes typhoon-proof reinforcement for 100-ton patrol vessels, channel dredging for 4,000-ton patrol vessels, and pier facility enhancement, among others. It also involves the construction of water, oil, electricity, and navigation facilities for large and small vessels. Sand dredged from the sea was used to fill areas on the island, focusing on nourishing the shores on the west and east sides of the airport runways.
Google Earth satellite imagery reveals that, besides harbor dredging, surge gates, and levee construction, the project includes building several naval aviation fuel tanks. The island now has the capability to supply both aviation and marine fuel.
With the completion of the military’s surge gate-related training, the CGA announced that a 100-ton patrol boat will be dispatched to Taiping Island in the current year.