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.
The Taiwanese passport ranked 33rd in a global listing of passports by convenience this month, rising three places from last month’s ranking, but matching its position in January last year. The Henley Passport Index, an international ranking of passports by the number of designations its holder can travel to without a visa, showed that the Taiwan passport enables holders to travel to 139 countries and territories without a visa. Singapore’s passport was ranked the most powerful with visa-free access to 192 destinations out of 227, according to the index published on Tuesday by UK-based migration investment consultancy firm Henley and Partners. Japan’s and
NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT: An official said that Guan Guan’s comments had gone beyond the threshold of free speech, as she advocated for the destruction of the ROC China-born media influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China content that threatens national security, the National Immigration Agency said yesterday. Guan Guan has said many controversial things in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” while expressing hope for expedited “reunification.” The agency received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification last year. After investigating, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and account for her actions. Guan Guan appeared as required,
Japan and the Philippines yesterday signed a defense pact that would allow the tax-free provision of ammunition, fuel, food and other necessities when their forces stage joint training to boost deterrence against China’s growing aggression in the region and to bolster their preparation for natural disasters. Japan has faced increasing political, trade and security tensions with China, which was angered by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remark that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would be a survival-threatening situation for Japan, triggering a military response. Japan and the Philippines have also had separate territorial conflicts with Beijing in the East and South China
A strong cold air mass is expected to arrive tonight, bringing a change in weather and a drop in temperature, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The coldest time would be early on Thursday morning, with temperatures in some areas dipping as low as 8°C, it said. Daytime highs yesterday were 22°C to 24°C in northern and eastern Taiwan, and about 25°C to 28°C in the central and southern regions, it said. However, nighttime lows would dip to about 15°C to 16°C in central and northern Taiwan as well as the northeast, and 17°C to 19°C elsewhere, it said. Tropical Storm Nokaen, currently
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