The US Senate has unanimously approved an amendment that reaffirms the US commitment to Japan in its territorial dispute with China over the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台), known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan and the Diaoyu Islands (釣魚島) in China, and which Taiwan also claims, as Washington tries to counter any attempt by Beijing to challenge Japan’s administration of the archipelago.
The measure was attached on Thursday to the National Defense Authorization Bill for Fiscal Year 2013 still being debated in the Senate.
The amendment says that while the US “takes no position” on the ultimate sovereignty of the territory, it “acknowledges the administration of Japan over the Senkaku Islands.”
It further adds that “unilateral actions of a third party will not affect United States acknowledgement of the administration of Japan over the Senkaku Islands.”
The legislation reaffirms the US’ commitment to Japan under the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security and warns that an armed attack against either party “in the territories under the administration of Japan” would be met in accordance with its provisions.
The amendment also noted US opposition to any efforts to coerce, threaten to use force, or use force to resolve territorial issues.
The Senate reiterated the US national interest in freedom of navigation, peace and stability, respect for international law and unimpeded lawful commerce in the region.
“This amendment is a strong statement of support for a vital ally in Pacific Asia,” US Senator Jim Webb said in a statement.
It “unequivocally states that the United States acknowledges the administration of Japan over the Senkaku Islands, and that this position will not be changed through threats, coercion, or military action,” the Democratic senator added.
In Taiwan, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Steve Hsia (夏季昌) yesterday said the ministry did not see any change in the US’ position on the dispute over the islands because the US has repeatedly said it takes no position on sovereignty of the region.
The statement by the US that the Diaoyutai Islands were covered by the US-Japan security treaty was mainly “out of concern over the needs to maintain regional security” and “was irrelevant to which country owns the sovereignty of the region,” Hsia said.
Hsia said the move by the US Senate was a repeat of the US position.
It is an undisputable fact that the Diaoyutai Islands are inherent territory of the Republic of China, Taiwan’s adjacent islets and traditional fishing grounds of the nation’s fishermen, Hsia said, adding that the passage of the bill in the US Senate can in no way change the facts.
The sovereignty of the islands has been a source of friction for decades, but the Japanese-Chinese row erupted earlier this year after the nationalist governor of Tokyo said he wanted to buy them for the city, forcing the Japanese government to buy three of the uninhabited islets.
Chinese vessels have been spotted in and around the territorial waters every day for the last month.
Both sides have publicly refused to back down on their respective claims to the Japan-controlled islands.
National pride as well as potential mineral reserves are at stake in the decades-old dispute, which has hit the huge trade relationship between the world’s second and third-largest economies.
Additional reporting by Shih Hsiu-chuan
In his National Day Rally speech on Sunday, Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (黃循財) quoted the Taiwanese song One Small Umbrella (一支小雨傘) to describe his nation’s situation. Wong’s use of such a song shows Singapore’s familiarity with Taiwan’s culture and is a perfect reflection of exchanges between the two nations, Representative to Singapore Tung Chen-yuan (童振源) said yesterday in a post on Facebook. Wong quoted the song, saying: “As the rain gets heavier, I will take care of you, and you,” in Mandarin, using it as a metaphor for Singaporeans coming together to face challenges. Other Singaporean politicians have also used Taiwanese songs
NORTHERN STRIKE: Taiwanese military personnel have been training ‘in strategic and tactical battle operations’ in Michigan, a former US diplomat said More than 500 Taiwanese troops participated in this year’s Northern Strike military exercise held at Lake Michigan by the US, a Pentagon-run news outlet reported yesterday. The Michigan National Guard-sponsored drill involved 7,500 military personnel from 36 nations and territories around the world, the Stars and Stripes said. This year’s edition of Northern Strike, which concluded on Sunday, simulated a war in the Indo-Pacific region in a departure from its traditional European focus, it said. The change indicated a greater shift in the US armed forces’ attention to a potential conflict in Asia, it added. Citing a briefing by a Michigan National Guard senior
CHIPMAKING INVESTMENT: J.W. Kuo told legislators that Department of Investment Review approval would be needed were Washington to seek a TSMC board seat Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) yesterday said he received information about a possible US government investment in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and an assessment of the possible effect on the firm requires further discussion. If the US were to invest in TSMC, the plan would need to be reviewed by the Department of Investment Review, Kuo told reporters ahead of a hearing of the legislature’s Economics Committee. Kuo’s remarks came after US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on Tuesday said that the US government is looking into the federal government taking equity stakes in computer chip manufacturers that
CLAMPING DOWN: At the preliminary stage on Jan. 1 next year, only core personnel of the military, the civil service and public schools would be subject to inspections Regular checks are to be conducted from next year to clamp down on military personnel, civil servants and public-school teachers with Chinese citizenship or Chinese household registration, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. Article 9-1 of the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) stipulates that Taiwanese who obtain Chinese household registration or a Chinese passport would be deprived of their Taiwanese citizenship and lose their right to work in the military, public service or public schools, it said. To identify and prevent the illegal employment of holders of Chinese ID cards or
RSS