On South China Sea islet, Taiwan argues Philippines case is far from watertight

News Manager

By Fabian Hamacher ITU ABA, South China Sea (Reuters) - On Itu Aba, in the Spratly archipelago of the South China Sea, Taiwanese coast guard officials proudly haul a small wooden bucket of water from one of several simple concrete wells on the coral outcrop. The water, clear and sweet tasting, is key to Taiwan's argument that Itu Aba is legally the only island among the hundreds of reefs, shoals and atolls scattered across the hotly disputed region. Itu Aba, which the Taiwanese call Taiping, is coming into focus as the Philippines challenges the legality of China's claims to most of the South China Sea.




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