U.S. slams Taiwan president’s planned visit to contested South China Sea island

Washington under the current Obama administration have chosen to take sides of its traditional adversaries instead of its traditional allies. Iran being the first major example with the nuclear ‘deal’, turning the entire Middle East into a powder keg and putting Israel’s existence into jeopardy. Now they’re playing into China’s hands by slamming Taiwan, an independent nation the United States is legally bound to protect and defend — despite the interpretations of the Taiwan Relations Act by those who despise Taiwan.

 

Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou’s planned trip to the Taiwanese-held island of Itu Aba in the disputed South China Sea is “extremely unhelpful” and won’t do anything to resolve disputes over the waterway, a U.S. official said on Wednesday.

Ma’s office earlier announced that the president, who steps down in May, would fly to Itu Aba on Thursday to offer Chinese New Year wishes to residents on the island, mainly Taiwanese coastguard personnel and environmental scholars.

From reef to biggest island in Spratlys, and China’s not done yet at Fiery Cross

China has turned a strategically important reef into probably the biggest island in the Spratlys, Chinese scholars say, and the expansion is expected to continue.

Analysts said the continued expansion of Fiery Cross Reef, which China calls Yongshu Reef, is expected eventually to provide a vital outpost for Chinese military and civilian commercial activities in disputed areas of the South China Sea, many of which are closer to other claimants’ coasts than to China’s.

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Beijing has yet to openly admit its plans to artificially expand reefs in the sea into islands.

Taiwan to build pier for warships in Spratlys

MANILA, Philippines – Taiwan has earmarked $110 million for the construction of a pier on Spratlys’ Taiping Island, which the Philippines has also laid claims, set to be completed by 2015.

The new project can hold frigates, radar-evading corvettes and Taiwanese Navy’s Kuang Hua VI-class missile boats, according to reports by Taiwanese media on Monday.