Taiwan Considers Permanent Armed Ships for Disputed South China Sea Island

The ships would mainly be used for rescue and maintenance, though they would be equipped with weapons systems, Shih and an official at the Ministry of National Defense said. It was not immediately clear how many ships would be stationed there or when a final decision would be made.

Taiwan has not taken sides with China in the South China Sea, despite the historical ties, given the political mistrust between them - and because of its need to maintain good relations with its biggest ally and arms supplier, the United States, a vocal critic of Beijing's policies in the disputed waters.

A senior commander in the Philippine navy told Reuters that Taiwan's plan would lead to increased military activity in the Spratlys and that it could raise the possibility of "incidents", while a spokesman for Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs called any such move "illegal and groundless."

Malaysia has five permanent stations in the Spratlys and there is always at least one navy ship at a station, a navy spokesman said.

(Additional reporting by J.R. Wu in TAIPEI, Greg Torode in HONG KONG, Ben Blanchard in BEIJING, Trinna Leong in KUALA LUMPUR, Manuel Mogato in MANILA and Ho Binh Minh in HANOI; Editing by Nick Macfie)