Taiwan's Military Drills Elevate Islands Dispute in South China Sea

Taiwan’s coast guard is conducting 5 days of live-fire drills starting September 1st  on Taiping, one of the largest islands in the South China Sea, despite Vietnam’s objections. The island state looks to raise its position in East Asia’s maritime-boundary dispute.

Taiwan’s move to reenter the fight adds fuel to the increasingly tense debate between the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the Republic of China (ROC) and Japan, who in recent weeks have called off or postponed a number of events set to celebrate the countries 40th anniversary of normalization of diplomatic ties. The PRC and the ROC agree that the islands are part of Taiwan. Japan does not officially recognize Taiwan as a sovereign state and considers the islands part of Ishigaki, Okinawa Prefecture and doesn’t acknowledge the claims of the PRC nor ROC to the islands.

The islands under dispute have many names, in Japan they are known as the Senkaku Islands, China has dubbed them the Diaoyu Islands and in Taiwan the islands are referred to as the Tiaoyutai islands. Rich in oil, gas and fish, these islands have been a source of foreign relations issues for years and more significantly in recent years. In 2010 a Chinese fishing boat collided with Japanese coast guard patrol boats near the islands. The captain and crew of the fishing boat were held in custody pending possible charges for fishing in Japan’s waters. The incident caused several protests and disruptions to scheduled diplomatic exchanges between the two countries. In 2012 a protest turned ugly when activists from the World Chinese Alliance of the Diayou Islands sailed past Japanese Coast Guard vessels with a PRC flag raised. The activists, onboard a Taiwanese fishing vessel escorted by 5 Taiwanese Coast Guard vessels, later told authorities that they had planned to raise the ROC flag also, but forgot it. The Japanese Coast Guard attempted to board the fishing vessel but was driven off by the nearby Taiwanese Coast Guard. The Taiwanese Coast Guard stayed for several hours following the incident, later bumping into one of the Japanese vessels.

After being left out of international talks and agreements Taiwan’s legislators are asking the country’s government to show the world that Taiwan has control of this territory. Earlier this month Taiwan delivered mortar and anti-aircraft guns to Taiping, in what they say are measures to strengthen their defenses.  The drills will be routine but they’re a clear message that Taiwan believes the islands belong to them.