Taiping Island

Taiping Island

Taiping island is located in the north of the central Zheng He group reef in the north of the Spratly Islands. It is an innate territory in China. It lies on the east side of the west side of the South China Sea. It covers an area of 0.43 square kilometers. People's Republic of China has sovereignty over Taiping Island. It is controlled by Taiwan, China, and is controlled by Kaohsiung Municipality. It is about 1600 kilometers away from the Northeast port of Kaohsiung.

On January 28, 2016, Ma Ying Jeou, the then leader of the Taiwan authorities, boarded Taiping island and made a speech, pointing out that from the perspective of history, geography and international law, the islands in the South China Sea and their adjacent waters belong to China's inherent territory and waters, and China's rights in international law are beyond doubt.

On July 7, 2016, Taiwan media reported that the so-called final award will be announced on July 12 in the South China Sea arbitration case. However, Taiwan's "maritime patrol agency" removed all the two 100 ton patrol boats deployed on Taiping island in Nansha, leaving only the old small ships that can only patrol near shore. Taiwan's "defense minister" Feng Shikuan answered a question in the Legislative Council, saying the move was to avoid the typhoon. In history, Vietnam and the Philippines took advantage of the opportunity of Taiwan's garrison retreating to Taiping island due to typhoon and illegally occupied dunqian sandbank and Zhongye island.

Late at night on July 12, 2016, Taiwan's "maritime patrol administration" issued a press release, pointing out that Taiping island has sufficient defense forces, and its daily life is safe, in line with the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the law of the sea. On July 10, the "maritime patrol Department" dispatched the great star warship to Taiping island in Nansha, and arrived at the waters around Taiping island on the evening of July 12.

Historical evolution

Name source

At the end of World War II in 1945, after China's victory in the Anti Japanese war against Japan, the Chinese Navy frigate Taiping was responsible for receiving the islands and reefs in the South China Sea occupied by Japan, and erecting sovereignty steles to declare sovereignty. This frigate named Nansha's largest island in memory of history.

Once upon a time, Chinese fishermen called the island "Huangshan Mazhi", which means "towering". All nautical maps other than Chinese refer to Taiping island as ituaba "ITU ABA island", and "ituaba" means "what's that" in Malay.

nineteenth century

In the latter half of the nineteenth Century, the powers had been encroaching on Chinese territory. Britain, Germany, France, Japan and other countries covet Spratly Islands for a long time. In 1883, Germany openly surveyed the South China Sea. After the Qing government protested against the diplomatic channels, the Germans stopped the investigation. This is China's first declaration of sovereignty over the islands in the South China Sea with the significance of international law.

Twentieth Century

In 1907, a large number of Japanese fishermen entered Nansha. In April 1929, due to the exhaustion of the phosphate rock on the island and the impact of the world economic crisis, Japanese businessmen declared to stop mining, and all personnel withdrew to Japan.

On April 10, 1933, the French army occupied Taiping island and drove away Japanese businessmen and Taiwanese laborers. To Taiping island for the second time.

At the beginning of 1935, the Japanese and Taiwan Governor General's office set up Kaiyang Xingye Co., Ltd. to develop Taiping island. In April of the same year, France sent 30 Vietnamese to Taiping island by warship.

In December 1936, Kaiyang Xingye company of Japan illegally sent personnel to explore phosphate rock.

On August 9, 1938, Japan sent warships and built stone tablets to record the development process of the Japanese; on October 30, Japan sent soldiers and Taiwanese laborers to land; on December 7, more people landed.

Since March 1939, the Japanese army landed in Xisha island by island, occupied Taiping island in Nansha on March 30, and drove away all the French colonial army and Annan fishermen who had occupied part of the islands and reefs for many years on April 9, resulting in Taiping Island changing hands three times. After the Japanese captured Taiping Island, it was renamed Changdao and brought into the management of Kaohsiung City. During this period, Japan had stationed Marine Corps, meteorological intelligence team, communication dispatch team and reconnaissance aircraft on the island.

In August 1941, the Japanese army sent the 21 Corps water surveillance plane of Pingtung east port to Taiping Island, and then transferred to the South Ocean for investigation and patrol, which opened the prelude of the Pacific War.

In 1944, Japan established a submarine base on the island.

On December 12, 1945, the Chinese government established the "Nansha administrative office" under the jurisdiction of the Guangdong provincial government, and built radio stations and meteorological stations.

In 1945, after the victory of Anti Japanese War, the French colonial army came back and occupied the South China Sea Islands after the Japanese army left, which led to the change of hands of Taiping island for four times.

In 1946, when the Chinese Government recovered sovereignty over Spratly Islands after the victory of the war of resistance against Japan, the Navy captain Yao Ruyu was named "Taiping ship" and "China ship" and so on. The four ships were named on the island. In October 5th of the same year, the French warship Chevreud landed on Spratly Islands's South Wei island and Taiping island and built a stone tablet on the island. At that time, the government of the Republic of China protested and decided to negotiate with the French side in the month and next January 4th. However, due to the tension in the Vietnam War, France gave up the negotiation.

On November 24, 1946, the Chinese government sent four warships, including Zhongye, Yongxing, Taiping and Zhongjian, to the South under the leadership of commanders Lin Zun and Yao Ruyu. Representatives of the Ministry of internal affairs, the Ministry of land, sea and air, together with the Navy, set out in Guangzhou and went to Xisha and Nansha for reception. Spratly Islands's "Taiping" and "Zhong Ye" two ships were led by Lin Zun and arrived at Taiping island. In order to commemorate the "Taiping" ship taking over the island, the island was named after "Taiping". At the end of the breakwater in the south of the island, erect the stone tablet of Taiping Island, and at the eastern end of the island, another "Spratly Islands Taiping island" stone tablet. After the monument was erected, a reception and flag raising ceremony was held beside the monument. The establishment of Spratly Islands Management Office on Taiping island is under the jurisdiction of the Guangdong provincial government.

In 1950, KMT troops retreated to Hainan Island, where the Navy's "Nansha Management Office" troops took the "Zhongsheng warship" to withdraw the personnel, materials and equipment from Taiping island to the left battalion. The Philippine people went to Taiping island and other islands to steal phosphate rock. In the 1952 San Francisco Peace Treaty with Japan, Taiping island was returned to "Taiwan region of China.".

On June 6, 1956, the remnant regime of Chiang Kai Shek first sent "Liwei detachment" to drive away the Philippine army and people. On July 11, he sent "Weiyuan detachment" and Marines to return to Taiping island for garrison, forming "Nansha garrison area" and sending a battalion of Marines to garrison the island.

Liwei troops: the task force was composed of two warships, Taihe and Taicang, from June 2 to June 14, 1956. Landing on three islands: Taiping Island, Nanwei island and Xiyue island. Patrol 5 islands and 1 sandbank: Nanzi Reef (now Nanzi Island), Beizi Reef (now Beizi Island), Zhongye Island, NANYAO Island, Hongxiu island and dunqian sandbank. It passes through two shoals: Xiaoyao shoal, Yongdeng shoal, and three reefs: Zhenghe shoal, Zhongye shoal and Yinqing shoal; it also passes through 12 reefs and one sandbank: Zhubi reef, Daxian reef, Xiaoxian reef, fulusi reef, Xijiao, Zhongjiao, Dongjiao, Huayang reef, riji reef, Xiangsheng Reef (huoai reef), changlai Reef (Mengzi reef) and Yangxin shoal.

Weiyuan Army: the task force was composed of two warships, Taikang and Taihe. Later, zhongzhao warship took part in the task force. The date was from June 29 to July 22, 1956. He has been to Taiping Island, Zhongye Island, dunqian sandbank, Xiyue Island, Hongxiu Island, Nanwei Island, NANYAO Island, Nanzi reef and Beizi reef.

Ningyuan Army: the task force is composed of Taihe and Yongshun warships. The date is from September 24 to October 5, 1956. At the end of September, I went to Taiping Island, Hongxiu island and dunqian sandbank. At the beginning of October, I went to NANYAO Island, Zhongye Island, Nanzi reef and Beizi reef.

In 1959, the island's officers and soldiers came here from Taiwan to worship the thousand handed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva and build the Avalokitesvara hall.

On October 31, 1960, the original weather station was expanded to a weather station. On September 9, 1960, a post agency was set up under the jurisdiction of Kaohsiung post office. Until July 1963, it was transferred to Taipei post office.

In 1963, the Taiwan withdrawal Committee set up a South China Sea Development Group in Taiping Island, which was engaged in scrap iron salvage and phosphate rock mining. Up to 1968, it was expanded into the South China Sea Resources Development Institute.

In October 1967, Chiang Kai Shek set up the so-called Chinese youth anti Communist national salvation league's summer education activities, and the southern Xinjiang expedition team set up a "Southern Xinjiang barrier" stone tablet here.

In 1975, Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia landed on the Spratly Islands in succession. The authorities issued a solemn statement of "the only legitimate sovereignty over Spratly Islands".

On January 12, 1980, on behalf of Minister Xu shuide, Wang Xingquan, director general of the Department of land administration of the Ministry of the interior of the Taiwan authorities, set up a stone tablet of "key to southern Xinjiang" on the island, and reiterated China's sovereignty over the South China Sea; on February 16, the Taiwan administrative agency approved the establishment of a management committee in Kaohsiung City to take over Taiping Island, which is subordinate to Qijin District of Kaohsiung City and set up a fishery work station.

In 1987, a fishermen's service station was set up in Taiwan and Pengzhou to promote various fishermen's services.

In 1990, the internal affairs department of the Taiwan authorities set up the "South Xinjiang key border monument" on the island to further strengthen the declaration of sovereignty. In the same year, the administration of the Taiwan authorities instructed the Kaohsiung Municipal authorities to set up a management office

Chinese PinYin : Tai Ping Dao