Taiwan minister says she visited second islet in disputed South China Sea

TAIPEI, April 29 (Reuters) – The Taiwanese minister in charge of the Coast Guard visited a second Taiwan-controlled islet deep in the South China Sea, she said on Wednesday, adding that complaints by Vietnam about her trip would not cause any regional tensions.

Taiwan and China claim sovereignty over most of the South China Sea and Taiwan has control of Itu Aba in the contested Spratly Islands in the southern part of the sea.

Writing on her Facebook page, Ocean Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling, whose department runs the Coast Guard, said that in addition to visiting Itu Aba she had also gone to the nearby and uninhabited Zhongzhou Reef to carry out a beach cleanup.

“There, I personally witnessed marine debris that had drifted in from surrounding countries and gained a deeper appreciation for the day-to-day life of our Coast Guard personnel stationed in the Nansha islands,” she added, using the name both Taiwan and China call the Spratlys.

Kuan posted two pictures of herself and her team on Zhongzhou; one staffer carried a large Taiwan flag.

Speaking to reporters in parliament later on Wednesday about her South China Sea visit, Kuan said that “in the defence of sovereignty of course there is absolutely no backing down.”

Kuan was in the Spratly Islands to carry out what the Coast Guard said were environmental and humanitarian drills.

Zhongzhou and Itu Aba are also claimed by China and Vietnam.

Kuan said Vietnam had complained about her trip, the first time in seven years a Taiwanese minister has visited Taiwan’s holdings in the Spratly Islands, but that its protest “has not been notably more forceful than usual.”

“Our exercise has not caused, nor will it cause, any regional tension,” she said in her Facebook post.

Vietnam’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Itu Aba has a runway long enough to take military re-supply flights from Taiwan and Taiwan opened a new wharf there in 2023 that is able to accommodate a 4,000-ton patrol ship.

But the island is lightly defended compared to nearby Chinese-controlled islands. Chinese forces generally leave Itu Aba and Zhongzhou alone.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus)