Coast guards posted in the area will receive training akin to that of members of Taiwan's elite Marine Corps, said Wang Chung-yi, deputy chief of the Coast Guard Administration.

"We need strength to defend our sovereignty," he told AFP.

He did not provide details about the training, but the Liberty Times newspaper said it would include skills in areas such as coastal defence against amphibious attack.

Taiwan's coast guard currently has a base on Taiping, the biggest island in the disputed Spratlys archipelago.

The island, which has a runway to smooth logistical support, is reported to have a garrison of about 130 coast guards.

The move comes as China becomes increasingly assertive in the potentially resource-rich South China Sea, following several years of relative quiet.

Taiwan on Monday reiterated its claims to the Spratlys, along with three other island groups in the South China Sea, amid a flare-up in tensions between the Philippines and China over rival claims.

"We urge the Philippines not to take any unilateral move that will spark controversy in the South China Sea," Taiwan's foreign ministry said in a statement.

Taiwan, Vietnam, Brunei, China, Malaysia, and the Philippines claim all or part of the Spratlys, which could lie on top of large oil reserves.

The Philippine military last week said it planned to use a new US-made vessel to boost patrols in the disputed waters, after a complaint about Chinese patrol boats harassing a Philippine oil exploration vessel in the area.

The Philippines also announced plans to pursue oil exploration in the area and to upgrade its military airfield on one of the islands, while lodging a formal protest at the United Nations over China's claims.

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