TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Due to tension in the South China Sea, now is not the right time for President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to visit disputed Taiping Island, Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said Wednesday (March 20).

Legislators have been encouraging the president to travel to the island before the end of her term on May 20, following the example of her predecessors. Taiping Island, 1,600 kilometers southwest of Kaohsiung City, counts as part of the city, though China, Vietnam, and the Philippines also lay claim to its territory.

Visiting the Legislative Yuan Wednesday, Wu insisted on Taiwan’s sovereignty over the small island, Radio Taiwan International (RTI) reported. However, because of regional tension, in particular between China and the Philippines, it would be inappropriate for the president to be traveling there at this time, he said.

Taiwan had not changed its policies of promoting peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and the South China Sea, Wu said, but the regional situation had evolved. The government needed to make clear it was not a troublemaker amid rising tension, he added.

Opposition Kuomintang (KMT) lawmakers were planning to organize a trip to Taiping Island in May. Wu said that even though the government had some reservations about the plan, it would respect the right of the legislators to stage the visit.

Lawmakers said the presidential visit could be timed to inspect a newly completed pier and dredging project, which allow larger Coast Guard vessels to dock at Taiping Island.