TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Satellite imagery appears to show an airstrip being constructed on a China-controlled island in the South China Sea that is also claimed by Taiwan.
The images were published by AP on Aug. 18, which reported that work on what appears to be an airstrip on Triton Island (中建島) began earlier in August. AP analysts concluded that the runway would be about 600 meters in length, and able to accommodate turboprop aircraft and drones, but not fighter jets or bombers.
On Monday, a Taiwan foreign ministry spokesperson told Taiwan News that the South China Sea Islands, including the Paracel Islands, are Taiwan’s territory, and that “the Republic of China’s (Taiwan’s) rights over land and related waters in the area cannot be questioned.” The ministry called on “relevant parties” to exercise restraint and avoid unilateral actions that would increase tensions.
China’s foreign spokesperson also responded to the reports on Aug. 18, saying the construction is normal behavior for a country to conduct on its own territory, but did not elaborate on what the possible runway is being built for. China’s claims to sovereignty over the South China Sea are not recognized under international law and often overlap with other parties' claims, including Taiwan.
This satellite photo shows Triton Island on Feb. 20, 2023, with no construction visible. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)
Taiwan, China, and Vietnam claim the island pictured on the satellite imagery, but China gained control over the territory in 1974. Taiwan justifies its sovereignty claims by records of its ancestors having visited the area since antiquity and says that its people were the first to name geographical features there.
“’The Book of Han’ recorded that Emperor Han Wudi of the Western Han Dynasty (137 to 87 BC) sent envoys to the island countries in the South China Sea,” a government statement reads. The statement followed a 2016 ruling by an international tribunal (brought by the Philippines against China) that did not recognize Taiwan’s claims in the South China Sea, which Taiwan rejected on the grounds that it was not invited to participate in proceedings or share its views.
Of its South China Sea claims, Taiwan controls Taiping Island, Dongsha (or Pratas) Island, and Zhongzhou Reef. The claims are an ongoing source of tension in the country’s international relations, particularly with Vietnam, which has criticized Taiwan for carrying out a military exercise around Taiping Island, most recently in June.
Members of Taiwan's Coast Guard pictured on Zhongzhou Reef in 2015, as part of a visit to Taiping Island. (Taiwan Coastguard photo)
