Taiwan News
Date: 2015-11-03
By Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Premier Mao Chi-kuo on Tuesday gave a subdued view of the
likelihood of tourism on the South China Sea’s Taiping Island, a proposal from Kuomintang chairman and presidential candidate Eric Liluan Chu.
The ruling party leader had echoed the government view that disputes in the area should first be put aside before joint development took place. The mostly uninhabited islands have formed the focus of sometimes strident exchanges between China, the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam and from a distance also the United States.
Taiwan has controlled Taiping, also known as Itu Aba, in the Spratly archipelago since 1956. Coastguard staff is based there, and an airport has been constructed. [FULL STORY]