Vice Minister of National Defense Huo Shou-yeh (
However, Hou emphasized that the airport on Taiping Island (
Hou was responding to questions by legislators during a meeting of the legislature's National Defense Committee.
Hou said that the plan to build the airport was proposed by the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) and that the Ministry of National Defense will assist by sending soldiers there for the construction work.
Hou said the airport will only be equipped with simple facilities, including a 1,150m runway and a control tower.
He said the airport will only be capable of handling the takeoff and landing of C130 aircraft, and not other military aircraft, fighters or marine-patrol aircraft, so the airport will not pose any military threat to the surrounding islets.
The Spratly Islands, which consist of more than 100 small islands or reefs surrounded by rich fishing grounds and oil deposits, are claimed either entirely or partially by Taiwan, China, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Su Chi (
Su said he will demand the ministry deliver a special report on the issue to the legislature and that he will also investigate whether the true purpose for building the airport is different from what the ministry claims and whether the plan is being financed by a secret budget.
During a separate meeting of the legislature's Home and Nations Committee, CGA Director-General Shi Hwei-yow (
Shi said there are 200 Coast Guard officers stationed on the island and that it takes eight days and costs NT$40 million (US$1.2 million) in fuel costs for one resupply mission by sea between Taiwan and Taiping Island.
Although there is a landing pad for helicopters on tiny island, helicopters cannot fly the long distance between Taiwan and the island, Shi said.
He said the plan to build the airport was first included in the Ministry of the Interior's policy guidelines on the Spratlys in 1993, adding that China and Malaysia have built their own airports on islands or reefs in the Spratlys in recent years to affirm their sovereignty claims.
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