Coast guard conducts maneuvers Nov. 21-23
Taiwan News
Date: 2018/11/22
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer
Vietnam Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Nguyen Phuong Tra. (By Central News Agency)
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Vietnam protested Thursday against live-fire drills by the Taiwanese coast guard near the disputed South China Sea island of Taiping, also known as Itu Aba.
In addition to Taiwan and Vietnam, several other countries, including China and the Philippines, also push claims of sovereignty over the mostly uninhabited islets and reefs dotted across the South China Sea.
Taiwan’s coast guard is conducting its final set of live-fire drills for the year, directed at potential threats from the waters around Taiping from November 21 to 23, the Central News Agency reported.
However, on Thursday, Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry said it absolutely opposed the maneuvers, adding they “seriously infringed Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Spratly Islands,” of which Taiping is the largest. [FULL STORY]
