TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiping Island, Taiwan's southernmost territory in the South China Sea, holds a significant role within the nation's geopolitical landscape.
In May, a military simulation indicated that should an attack occur on Taiping Island, Taiwan's connections to it could be severed within a single day.
The swiftest naval journey from Kaohsiung to the island would take a day and a half, while even the C-130 transport aircraft would require three to four hours to arrive.
Furthermore, the island's overall environment and terrain pose greater challenges for defense rather than offense, as it features flat coral reefs, easy for an adversary to breach the sea defense, according to Yang Tai-yuan a researcher at the Center for Advanced Technology of Tamkang University.
Although the island's defensive capabilities are impacted by its terrain, support from Taiwan should not be impeded by these conditions.
The ongoing expansion project for Taiping Island's harbor, projected to conclude in September and costing nearly NT＄1.6 billion, aims to provide refuge for the Coast Guard's 100-ton patrol vessels during typhoons.
The upgrades would also accommodate the berthing of Coast Guard or Navy vessels weighing 4,000 tons.
Various supplementary facilities at the pier have been bolstered, primarily to streamline replenishment and humanitarian relief efforts.
Li Da-jung, director of the Graduate Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies at Tamkang University, emphasized that the primary objective is to fortify the defense and control of Taiping Island.
"The United States and China are engaged in an increasingly comprehensive strategic competition. As a result, the role of the South China Sea issue and the South China Sea disputes has grown significantly. " Li said.
"The importance of Taiping Island cannot be overstated. It serves as a critical geographic, geopolitical, and strategic asset for our interests."
Amid the ongoing U.S.-China dispute involving the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, Taiwan finds itself compelled to safeguard its territory and prevent any further incidents amidst this intricate geopolitical scenario.