Taiwan minister makes rare visit to South China Sea island for drills

Taiwan's minister in charge of the coast guard has made a rare visit to a Taiwan-controlled island in the South China Sea for exercises, including practising the armed boarding of a suspicious ship.



Taiwan and China claim sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, and Taiwan has control of Itu Aba in the contested Spratly Islands in the southern part of the sea.



In a statement late on Wednesday, Taiwan's coast guard said Ocean Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling had visited Itu Aba, which it calls Taiping Island, the previous day for a "humanitarian relief, medical evacuation, and marine pollution removal" exercise.



Taiwan's official Central News Agency said it was the first time in seven years a minister had visited Itu Aba, which is also claimed by China, Vietnam and the Philippines.



In one part of the drill, coast guard special forces armed with guns practised boarding a suspicious cargo ship that had refused to respond to hails.