Taiwan coast guard minister visits disputed South China Sea island for drills

Taiwan used a rare ministerial visit to Itu Aba to send a message far beyond the island’s runway and wharf: it intends to hold its ground in the South China Sea, keep its coast guard visible, and show that Taiwan-controlled territory is still under active administration.

Ocean Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling traveled to Itu Aba, which Taiwan calls Taiping Island, on April 22 for drills that included humanitarian relief, medical evacuation, marine pollution removal, and the armed boarding of a suspicious ship. Taiwan’s Central News Agency said it was the first visit by a minister in seven years to the island, which sits in the contested Spratly Islands and is also claimed by China, Vietnam, and the Philippines.

The most pointed drill involved coast guard special forces armed with guns boarding a cargo ship that had refused to respond to hails. Taiwan’s coast guard said the vessel was escorted back to Taiping Island for further investigation. Video released by the coast guard showed heavily armed personnel entering the ship’s control room and telling a crew member, “You have entered the waters under the jurisdiction of our country. Please cooperate with the investigation.”

The visit was not only about operational readiness. It was also a signal to Beijing, which has turned much of the South China Sea into a heavily militarized arena through land reclamation and the construction of air force and other military facilities on islands and outcrops it controls. Itu Aba remains one of Taiwan’s most exposed outposts, but also one of its most deliberate demonstrations of sovereignty. The island has a runway long enough for military resupply flights from Taiwan, and Taipei opened a new wharf there in 2023 that can accommodate a 4,000-ton patrol ship.

That infrastructure matters because the South China Sea remains a critical shipping route, carrying billions of dollars in trade each year, and an important fishing ground. Even a symbolic move on a disputed island can raise the stakes in waters already crowded with coast guards, naval patrols and competing claims.

The message also reached north to the Pratas Islands, known in Taiwan as Dongsha, where Kuan said in April that Taiwan would strengthen defenses as Chinese government boats increased around the archipelago and maritime “grey zone harassment” expanded. Kuan said the Pratas were vulnerable because they sit more than 250 miles from mainland Taiwan. Taken together, the visit to Itu Aba and the warnings over Pratas showed a government trying to project steadiness, deterrence and control across a widening maritime front.