Taiwan lawmakers and fishermen headed to an island in the South China Sea on Wednesday to protest an international tribunal's ruling in The Hague.

Eight lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party and the opposition Kuomintang boarded a military plane to Taiping Island, one of the Nansha Islands.

Meanwhile, five fishing boats decorated with banners reading "Protect fishing rights, safeguard sovereignty" set out for the island from Pingtung county, Taiwan, to protest the perceived threat to fishermen's livelihoods.