Taiwan’s Ma to inspect islet off Diaoyu waters

Experts say Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou's plan to inspect the Pengjia Islet, located about 140 kilometers west off the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea on Sunday, constitutes the most explicit and proactive statement of its stance amid escalating disputes over the sovereignty of the Diaoyu Islands.

Ma is due to fly to the island, which is administered by Taiwan, and listen to reports on the situation of the Diaoyu Islands, according to the Taiwan-based China Times.

He will also inspect the weather station and the deployment of sea patrol forces on the island, it reported.

Taiwan has stationed troops and members of the coast guard on the island, where it also has a heliport, a lighthouse and a meteorological station, according to local reports.

Ma will then board a helicopter and fly further east to the edge of the air defense identification zone, the China Times reported.

Ma's plan came shortly after the Japanese government declared it would "purchase" the Diaoyu Islands as a step forward to "nationalize" the uninhabited islands, according to the Japan-based Nihon Keizai Shimbun.

Ma reaffirmed Monday Taiwan's "sovereignty" over the islands and called on all parties to "resolve disputes through peaceful means", Taiwan-based China Post reported.

"We will insist on our 'national' interest and sovereignty, and we will not budge even an inch," Ma was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

Yang Lixian, a researcher with the Institute of Taiwan Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times that the move shows the Taiwan leader prioritizes territorial sovereignty.

Huang Hsi-lin, secretary general of Taiwan-based activist group Defending the Diaoyu Islands said, "The Taiwan authorities should provide stronger support for the non-government activists in their efforts to defend the Diaoyu Islands."

Taiwan-based Democratic Progressive Party chairman Su Tseng-chang said Ma should start a discourse on regional stability and sovereignty issues rather than visit the island.