The Republic of China (ROC) cannot afford to be absent from negotiations on disputes surrounding the South China Sea, because the nation has an important role to play in the region, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said yesterday.
Ma made the remarks at the opening ceremony of an exhibition of historical material on the nation’s South China Sea territories, but he did not mention what he would do to overcome Taiwan’s exclusion from multilateral talks regarding South China Sea issues.
“We, on the one hand, are bound to defend the sovereignty of the nation over the region; and on the other hand, we have to seek solutions to [competing] sovereignty claims,” Ma said.
When it comes to solving problems in the South China Sea, it is important that concerned parties try to reduce tensions, rather than engage in head-on clashes like two trains crashing into each other, he said.
Ma reiterated his desire that his East China Sea peace initiative be applied to the South China Sea.
The initiative, which Ma proposed two years ago, urges China and Japan to shelve their territorial disputes over the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) — known as the Senkakus in Japan — and focus efforts on developing natural resources in the disputed region.
The exhibit, hosted by the Ministry of the Interior and Academia Historica, contains 150 documents and maps as well as more than 300 photographs from government files and from soldiers who have served at South China Sea isles.
The exhibit at the Academia Historica in Taipei runs through Oct. 31. A second exhibit is to open in Greater Kaohsiung on Oct. 9, followed by one in Greater Taichung on Nov. 17.
POLITICAL AGENDA: Beijing’s cross-strait Mid-Autumn Festival events are part of a ‘cultural united front’ aimed at promoting unification with Taiwan, academics said Local authorities in China have been inviting Taiwanese to participate in cross-strait Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations centered around ideals of “family and nation,” a move Taiwanese academics said politicizes the holiday to promote the idea of “one family” across the Taiwan Strait. Sources said that China’s Fujian Provincial Government is organizing about 20 cross-strait-themed events in cities including Quanzhou, Nanping, Sanming and Zhangzhou. In Zhangzhou, a festival scheduled for Wednesday is to showcase Minnan-language songs and budaixi (布袋戲) glove puppetry to highlight cultural similarities between Taiwan and the region. Elsewhere, Jiangsu Province is hosting more than 10 similar celebrations in Taizhou, Changzhou, Suzhou,
The Republic of China (ROC) is celebrating its 114th Double Ten National Day today, featuring military parades and a variety of performances and speeches in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei. The Taiwan Taiko Association opened the celebrations with a 100-drummer performance, including young percussionists. As per tradition, an air force Mirage 2000 fighter jet flew over the Presidential Office as a part of the performance. The Honor Guards of the ROC and its marching band also heralded in a military parade. Students from Taichung's Shin Min High School then followed with a colorful performance using floral imagery to represent Taiwan's alternate name
COGNITIVE WARFARE: Chinese fishing boats transmitting fake identification signals are meant to test Taiwan’s responses to different kinds of perceived incursions, a report said Chinese vessels are transmitting fake signals in Taiwan’s waters as a form of cognitive warfare, testing Taipei’s responses to various types of incursions, a report by the Institute for the Study of War said on Friday. Several Chinese fishing vessels transmitted fake automatic identification system (AIS) signals in Taiwan’s waters last month, with one mimicking a Russian warship and another impersonating a Chinese law enforcement vessel, the report said. Citing data from Starboard Maritime Intelligence, the report said that throughout August and last month, the Chinese fishing boat Minshiyu 06718 (閩獅漁06718) sailed through the Taiwan Strait while intermittently transmitting its own AIS
CHINESE INFILTRATION: Medical logistics is a lifeline during wartime and the reported CCP links of a major logistics company present a national security threat, an expert said The government would bolster its security check system to prevent China from infiltrating the nation’s medical cold chain, a national security official said yesterday. The official, who wished to stay anonymous, made the remarks after the Chinese-language magazine Mirror Media (鏡周刊) reported that Pharma Logistics (嘉里醫藥物流) is in charge of the medical logistics of about half of the nation’s major hospitals, including National Taiwan University Hospital and Taipei Veterans General Hospital. The company’s parent, Kerry TJ Logistics Co (嘉里大榮物流), is associated with the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the
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