Taiwan's top security official said on Thursday he does not currently recommend President Tsai Ing-wen visit the South China Sea given the possible risk to her flight from "interference by relevant countries" given China's military presence there.
Both Taiwan and China claim most of the South China Sea as their own territory, but Taiwan only controls one main islet in the contested Spratly Islands deep in the southern part of the sea called Itu Aba, which Taiwan refers to as Taiping island.
Some lawmakers from both the ruling and main opposition parties have called on Tsai to visit Itu Aba before she steps down in May to assert Taiwan's sovereignty and view a newly renovated harbor that can take larger ships.