The political philosophy and behavior of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) concerning the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) is fundamentally wrong and risks creating the false perception that Taiwan sides with China at the expense of its relations with Japan, a senior Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) official said yesterday.
“Placing the sovereignty issue at the forefront of the bilateral dispute is a fatal mistake because it escalates tensions and increases mistrust” between Taiwan and Japan, a senior DPP official familiar with the issue said.
The official wished to remain anonymous because his comments did not represent the DPP’s official position.
By saying “we will not give one inch” on sovereignty and sending five coast guard vessels to escort a fishing boat full of activists waving a People’s Republic of China (PRC) flag in the waters around the Diaoyutais, Ma is sending “confused and misleading signals” to Japan and the US, the official said.
Ma’s message is particularly difficult to understand given that the US Department of State recently reaffirmed that the Diaoyutais, known as the Senkakus in Japan, fall within the region defined in the bilateral Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the US and Japan, he said.
“At the end of the day, Ma’s approach not only fails to resolve the sovereignty dispute, it also raises tensions and gives people the impression that Taiwan is on the same side as China,” he said.
In contrast, the DPP prioritized the fishing rights of Taiwanese fishermen over sovereignty, as seen by the seven rounds of fishing rights talks held under the former DPP administration. As a result it was able to forge closer bilateral ties and persuade Japan to recognize Taiwanese drivers’ licenses, despite the dispute over the islands, the official said.
Although the DPP and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) agree that Taiwan claims sovereignty over the islets, they have different philosophies, said DPP New Taipei City (新北市) office director Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政), an expert on international politics.
“For the DPP, the Diaoyutais are part of Taiwan. Period. For the KMT, the Diaoyutais belong to Taiwan and Taiwan is part of China,” he said.
Ma’s philosophy has made Beijing a major player in the game, Lo said, because “Beijing cannot claim sovereignty over the Diaoyutais without claiming sovereignty over Taiwan.”
It has also jeopardized Taiwan’s sovereignty, Lo said.
Lo made a similar observation about the DPP’s strategy of setting aside the dispute over sovereignty and promoting cooperation in other areas, such as fishing rights.
If the strategy works for other claimants of territory in the South China Sea, it should work for Taiwan and Japan over the Diaoyutai Islands, Lo said.
However, not all DPP members are on the same page. DPP Legislator Chen Ou-po (陳歐珀), who said he supported the “fishing rights first” approach, condemned Japan’s recent blocking of Taiwanese fishing boats from his constituency of Yilan County in the area and said he was considering visiting the islands himself.
Lo said Chen’s planned visit was “a matter of concern” and was unlikely to help create a more positive atmosphere as the two sides work to resolve the territorial dispute.
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
‘OF COURSE A COUNTRY’: The president outlined that Taiwan has all the necessary features of a nation, including citizens, land, government and sovereignty President William Lai (賴清德) discussed the meaning of “nation” during a speech in New Taipei City last night, emphasizing that Taiwan is a country as he condemned China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The speech was the first in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. It is the responsibility of Taiwanese citizens to stand united to defend their national sovereignty, democracy, liberty, way of life and the future of the next generation, Lai said. This is the most important legacy the people of this era could pass on to future generations, he said. Lai went on to discuss
MISSION: The Indo-Pacific region is ‘the priority theater,’ where the task of deterrence extends across the entire region, including Taiwan, the US Pacific Fleet commander said The US Navy’s “mission of deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific theater applies to Taiwan, Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler told the South China Sea Conference on Tuesday. The conference, organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), is an international platform for senior officials and experts from countries with security interests in the region. “The Pacific Fleet’s mission is to deter aggression across the Western Pacific, together with our allies and partners, and to prevail in combat if necessary, Koehler said in the event’s keynote speech. “That mission of deterrence applies regionwide — including the South China Sea and Taiwan,” he
UNPRECEDENTED: In addition to the approved recall motions, cases such as Ma Wen-chun’s in Nantou are still under review, while others lack enough signatures The Central Election Commission (CEC) announced yesterday that a recall vote would take place on July 26, after it approved the first batch of recall motions targeting 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao (高虹安). Taiwan is in the midst of an unprecedented wave of mass recall campaigns, following a civil society push that echoed a call made by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) in January to initiate signature drives aimed at unseating KMT legislators. Under the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法), Taiwanese can initiate a recall of district-elected lawmakers by collecting
RSS