PINGTUNG, TAIWAN - MAY 18: Workers unload fish from the boat before transporting to a fish market on May 18, 2016 in Pingtung, Taiwan. Taiwan, often an overlooked player in the control over the South China Sea, continues assert its claim to sovereignty over Itu Aba, also known as Taiping Island in Taiwan, as well as fishing rights in the South China Sea. In July, the international tribunal in The Hague announced its ruling on Taiping Island that deems it a rock rather than an island which stirred a group of Taiwanese fishermen to sail for the Taiping Island as a protest against the international court ruling shortly after Taiwan sent a warship to patrol the contested region, reminding neighboring countries it had a stake in the sea as well. According to reports, Taiwan recently sent a group of officials to Taiping Island aiming to prove the island is able to sustain human habitation or economic life on its own, and therefore entitled to a 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ). (Photo by Billy H.C. Kwok/Getty Images)
