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MND to assess offshore terminal on Taiping Island

ROC Central News Agency

2013/04/24 16:43:01

Taipei, April 24 (CNA) Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) will assess whether an offshore terminal for naval frigates should be set up on Taiping Island in the South China Sea, Deputy Defense Minister Andrew Yang said at a legislative hearing Wednesday.

Two newspapers reported earlier this month that the Coast Guard Administration (CGA), which is responsible for the island's security, is hoping to build an offshore terminal on Taiping Island to accommodate frigates of up to 2,000 tons.

It also wants to extend the island's airport runway, the reports said.

During a hearing of the Legislative Yuan's Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, Kuomintang Legislator Lin Yu-fang followed up on the reports with Yang, whose ministry provides personnel training in the defense of the island.

Lin asked whether the Defense Ministry had brought up the idea with the Coast Guard of having the wharf accommodate naval frigates or 500-1,000 ton stealth missile boats, to which Yang replied that no discussions had been held.

'We will make a thorough assessment before consulting with the CGA on the issue,' Yang said.

The CGA appropriated NT$19 million (US$638,223) in its 2013 budget to finance initial planning of the pier reconstruction project, according to Lin.

Yang also told Lin that the MND's 'South China Sea task force' has been renamed the 'West Pacific task force,' but he did not explain the reason behind the name change.

With an area of 0.49 square kilometers, Taiping Island lies about 1,600 km southwest of Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan and is the biggest island in the disputed Spratly Island chain.

The South China Sea region, thought to be rich in oil deposits and marine biodiversity, is claimed either entirely or in part by Taiwan, Brunei, China, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines.

The CGA confirmed Monday that its personnel stationed on Taiping Island conducted a live-fire drill in mid-April to help safeguard the country's sovereignty over the area.

(By Angelea Tsai and Sofia Wu)
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