Taiwan Ocean Affairs Minister Visits Itu Aba (Taiping Island) and Zhongzhou Reef — Asserts Taiwan's Disputed South China Sea Claims Amid Regional Tensions

Taiwan's Ocean Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling visited Itu Aba (Taiping Island) — the largest naturally occurring island in the Spratly Islands, administered by Taiwan since 1956 — and nearby Zhongzhou Reef on or around April 28, 2026. Minister Kuan stated that Vietnam's complaints about her trip would not cause regional tensions. The visit, which included a symbolic beach cleanup operation, is Taiwan's most prominent assertion of its South China Sea claims during the Balikatan 2026 exercise period — a period otherwise dominated by the Philippines-China confrontation narrative and the US-China counter-signaling dynamic. Itu Aba (also called Taiping Island; Chinese: Tài Píng Dǎo) is located at approximately 114°22'E, 10°22'N in the Spratly Islands. Taiwan claims the feature as 'Nansha Islands' under the Republic of China's historical nine-dotted-line claim, which predates the PRC's own nine-dash line and shares broadly similar geographic scope. Vietnam protests Taiwanese administrative activities on Itu Aba as infringement on Vietnamese sovereign territory claimed as part of the Spratly Islands (Trường Sa). Taiwan maintains a garrison of about 200 Coast Guard and military personnel on Itu Aba. The island has an airstrip, desalination plant, and medical facility. During the period of heightened allied military activity (Balikatan 2026), Taiwan's visit to Itu Aba signals that the six-claimant dynamic in the South China Sea — China, Taiwan, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei — remains active alongside the bilateral Philippines-China confrontation.