Taiwan's Ocean Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling visited Itu Aba (Taiping Island) to observe coast guard exercises that combined humanitarian response with security drills, including a simulated armed boarding of a non-responsive cargo ship. The vessel was escorted back to the island for investigation, and the coast guard released footage showing the operation. Itu Aba has a runway and a new 2023 wharf for 4,000-ton vessels but remains lightly defended compared with nearby Chinese-held outposts. Beijing's reclamation and militarisation across other South China Sea features have heightened regional and international concern.
Taiwan Coast Guard Minister Makes Rare Visit to Itu Aba, Oversees Armed-Boarding Drill
Kuan Bi-ling, minister of Taiwan's Ocean Affairs Council, which runs the Coast Guard Administration, speaks during a press conference in Taipei, Taiwan, April 2, 2026. REUTERS/Ann Wang
Taipei — Taiwan's Ocean Affairs Council Minister, Kuan Bi-ling, made a rare visit to Itu Aba (Taiping Island) in the South China Sea to observe and take part in joint coast guard exercises, officials said.
The drills combined humanitarian and security elements, including medical evacuation and marine pollution response training, as well as a simulated armed boarding of a suspicious cargo vessel that ignored repeated hails. The Taiwan Coast Guard said the vessel was escorted back to Taiping Island for further investigation.
What Happened During the Exercise
Coast guard special forces, clad in black and equipped with weapons, practised boarding the ship and securing its control room; the coast guard released video footage of the operation. One team member is heard telling the crew:
"You have entered the waters under the jurisdiction of our country. Please cooperate with the investigation."
Strategic Context
Itu Aba, the largest naturally occurring feature in the Spratly Islands, has a runway capable of receiving military resupply flights and a new wharf opened in 2023 that can accommodate a 4,000-ton patrol ship. Taiwan's official Central News Agency reported this was the first ministerial visit to the island in seven years.
Although Taiwan maintains the island, it remains lightly defended relative to nearby Chinese-controlled outposts. Beijing has undertaken extensive land reclamation and built major military facilities on several South China Sea features it controls, prompting concern in Washington and among regional claimants including Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei. China maintains it has the right to build on and defend territory it claims.
Taiwan also administers the Pratas Islands in the northern South China Sea. Chinese air and naval operations near these features are regularly used to reinforce Beijing's broader territorial claims — a stance Taipei rejects.
Why It Matters
The South China Sea is a vital international shipping route, a major fishing area and is believed to hold significant energy resources. Exercises like this underscore Taipei's intent to assert administrative control and protect maritime rights while balancing humanitarian, environmental and security responsibilities in a contested region.
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