Recent media reports of an alleged proposal to lease a Taiwan-controlled island in the South China Sea to the United State as a military base are completely groundless, according to Taiwan. The allegation originated from a pro-Beijing politician in Taiwan who started to circulate the rumor as early as 2016, The Epoch Times has learned.
Taiping Island, also known internationally as Itu Aba, is the largest of the Spratly Islands in the disputed South China Sea. The island has been controlled by Taiwan for decades, though China, Philippines, and Vietnam all include it as part of their sovereign claims. Taiwan has built extensive infrastructure on the island, which includes a military runway, while also maintaining a coast guard garrison there.
