AP Features, February 3rd, 2008
Taiwan's president inaugurated a runway on a disputed island in the South China Sea, sparking a protest from the Philippines which also claims sovereignty over the isle, officials said.
Chen Shui-bian, the first Taiwanese president to ever visit Taiping island in the Spratlys chain, also met with troops there during his brief visit Saturday, said Lee Nan-yang, the president's spokesman.
"There's no question about Taiwan's sovereignty on Taiping island, and we will continue to build structures there to help beef up patrols and sea security," Chen said in a statement after returning from the island 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) south of Taiwan.
Lee said Chen "inaugurated a runway on the island that was built for humanistic use in the event of shipwrecks and other disasters."
In Manila, Philippine Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo called Chen's visit "lamentable."
"The Philippines expresses serious concern over this reported development that works against the joint efforts by claimant countries in the South China Sea to achieve peace and stability in the region," Romulo said in a statement.
The Spratlys consist of about 100 barren islets, reefs and atolls dotting the world's busiest shipping lanes in the South China Sea. Vietnam, China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei each claim all or part of the low-lying islands, believed to be rich in oil, gas and fish stocks.
Taiping's only inhabitants are several dozen Taiwanese troops stationed there. Taiwan forces have built medical facilities on the island for soldiers and passing sailors, and have installed weather and environmental surveillance equipment.
China and Vietnam clashed diplomatically over the island group in 1988 and 1992. Other countries have engaged in low-level skirmishes over their own claims. China and Vietnam agreed last month to handle their disputes over the islands through negotiations and pledged to safeguard peace in the South China Sea.
