Taiwan minister makes rare visit to disputed South China Sea island

A Taiwanese minister has made a rare visit to a Taiwan-controlled islet in the South China Sea to observe a coast guard exercise, as tensions flare in the region.

Ocean Affairs Minister Kuan Bi-ling witnessed the humanitarian rescue and medical evacuation drills on Itu Aba, which is also claimed by China, Vietnam and the Philippines.

China also claims self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory, even though Taiwan sees itself as distinct.

Kuan's visit to Itu Aba comes as US and Filipino forces hold their largest ever military drills across the Philippines, drawing anger from China.

As the US-Philippines drills were ongoing, China dispatched a new amphibious warship to the South China Sea and sailed one of its aircraft carriers in the nearby Taiwan Strait.

The Taiwanese exercise on Itu Aba included a scenario where coast guard officials armed with guns intercepted a suspicious cargo vessel that did not respond to hails.

Footage shared by the coast guard show heavily-armed special forces breaking into the control room of the ship.

About 200 people live on the 46-hectare Taiping Island. It is the largest natural island in the Spratly chain and is equipped with an airstrip and a hospital.

A ruling by an international tribunal in 2016 classified Taiping Island as a "rock" under the United Nations' Convention on the Law of the Sea, which gives Taiwan rights to resources for only 12 nautical miles around it – in contrast to 200 nautical miles, if it were deemed an "island".

Taiwan and China have rejected the ruling and refused to recognise the arbitration case that was brought by the Philippines.

In 2024, Taiwan's then-foreign minister Joseph Wu warned that China has built "enormous" military bases in the area around Taiping Island.