President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday paid a third visit to the Dongsha Islands and used the occasion to call on neighboring countries to hold dialogue with Taiwan to settle territorial disputes over islands in the South China Sea, as well as preserve marine life in the region.
"As oceanic people, inhabitants of Taiwan have the obligation to protect the marine ecosystem in the region. We also urge our neighboring countries to join us in resolving sovereignty issues in a peaceful manner," he said.
The president repeated the plea he had made during his visit to the Spratly Islands two weeks ago, calling on the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia to resolve their disputes through peaceful negotiations.
PHOTO: CNA
Chen said his "Spratly Initiative" called for environmental protection to replace the political disputes and depletion of natural resources.
The president said Taiwan would respect the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea signed by ASEAN nations in November 2002 and that Taiwan looks forward to participating in the establishment of a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea.
The Dongsha Islands, also known as the Pratas Islands, consists of three islands located in the northeastern South China Sea. The islands are rich in rare fauna and flora.
The islands are administered by Taiwan under the jurisdiction of the Kaohsiung City Government.
In January last year, the Dongsha Marine National Park was established. It is the nation's newest and largest national park.
During his visit, Chen, accompanied by Minister of National Defense Lee Tien-yu (
He said Taiwan would continue its efforts and called on neighboring countries to join in.
The president said Southeast Asian countries should emulate the Micronesia Challenge posed by Palauan President Tommy Remengesau in 2005. Remengesau challenged the leaders of Micronesian countries to conserve 30 percent of near shore marine resources and 20 percent of forest resources by 2020.
"In the past, the Dongsha and Spratly Islands have been associated with army bases and military conflict. This mentality has overlooked the precious ecological and marine life that exists in the region," Chen said.
He said that whenever he flies to the islands, the word "fulfillment" enters his mind.
"We [the Taiwanese people] can enjoy the beauty of marine ecology without having to travel all the way to the South Pacific. To me, this is one of the greatest gifts that God has bestowed upon the Taiwanese people," Chen said.
DEFENSE: The first set of three NASAMS that were previously purchased is expected to be delivered by the end of this year and deployed near the capital, sources said Taiwan plans to procure 28 more sets of M-142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), as well as nine additional sets of National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS), military sources said yesterday. Taiwan had previously purchased 29 HIMARS launchers from the US and received the first 11 last year. Once the planned purchases are completed and delivered, Taiwan would have 57 sets of HIMARS. The army has also increased the number of MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) purchased from 64 to 84, the sources added. Each HIMARS launch pod can carry six Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, capable of
Authorities have detained three former Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TMSC, 台積電) employees on suspicion of compromising classified technology used in making 2-nanometer chips, the Taiwan High Prosecutors’ Office said yesterday. Prosecutors are holding a former TSMC engineer surnamed Chen (陳) and two recently sacked TSMC engineers, including one person surnamed Wu (吳) in detention with restricted communication, following an investigation launched on July 25, a statement said. The announcement came a day after Nikkei Asia reported on the technology theft in an exclusive story, saying TSMC had fired two workers for contravening data rules on advanced chipmaking technology. Two-nanometer wafers are the most
TRAJECTORY: The severe tropical storm is predicted to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday, and would influence the nation to varying degrees, a forecaster said The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it would likely issue a sea warning for Tropical Storm Podul tomorrow morning and a land warning that evening at the earliest. CWA forecaster Lin Ting-yi (林定宜) said the severe tropical storm is predicted to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving west at 21kph and packing sustained winds of 108kph and gusts of up to 136.8kph, the CWA said. Lin said that the tropical storm was about 1,710km east of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, with two possible trajectories over the next one
CHINA’s BULLYING: The former British prime minister said that he believes ‘Taiwan can and will’ protect its freedom and democracy, as its people are lovers of liberty Former British prime minister Boris Johnson yesterday said Western nations should have the courage to stand with and deepen their economic partnerships with Taiwan in the face of China’s intensified pressure. He made the remarks at the ninth Ketagalan Forum: 2025 Indo-Pacific Security Dialogue hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Prospect Foundation in Taipei. Johnson, who is visiting Taiwan for the first time, said he had seen Taiwan’s coastline on a screen on his indoor bicycle, but wanted to learn more about the nation, including its artificial intelligence (AI) development, the key technology of the 21st century. Calling himself an
RSS