TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) reiterated Taiwan’s sovereignty over Taiping Island during a legislative interpellation on Tuesday (March 26).

Chen said there is no doubt the island belongs to Taiwan and pointed out the increased tensions in the region in the past few days, which are undermining peace and stability, CNA reported. All countries have a responsibility to ensure a peaceful, free, and open South China Sea, he said.

Chen emphasized that Taiwan will continue to work with the international community to maintain peace and stability.

The premier’s comments come as some lawmakers urged President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to visit the island to reaffirm Taiwan’s sovereignty over it. However, both National Security Bureau Director General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) and Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) have warned against such a trip.

A visit at this time could be perceived as creating tension, thus affecting Taiwan’s foreign relations, Tsai Ming-yen said. The high degree of militarization in the South China Sea also provides security concerns about the president’s flight to the island, he said.

Wu said that due of regional tension, particularly between China and the Philippines, it would be inappropriate for the president to be traveling there at this time. The government needed to make clear it was not a troublemaker amid rising tension, he added.

Kuomintang (KMT) Legislator Ma Wen-chun (馬文君) announced on Saturday (March 23) that she planned to visit the island on May 16 with a delegation of other KMT and Taiwan People’s Party lawmakers on the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee. The group plans to fly to the island from Pingtung Air Force Base aboard a C-130 plane. Once on the island, the lawmakers will inspect defense facilities and hardware before returning to Pingtung the same day.