The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) yesterday denied allegations from Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wong Chin-chu (翁金珠) that the government shared the results of a marine survey with China.
“The continental shelf survey initiated by the MOI was to survey the undersea landscape and geological resources, which is aimed at protecting our country’s rights in our waters,” the MOI said in a press statement released yesterday. “The data gathered from the research and the results are deeply connected to our sovereignty and national interest — therefore it is not possible that we would share the data with other countries.”
“It is absolutely not possible that the results would be leaked in any way either,” the statement said.
The statement said China had claimed sovereignty of the East China Sea to the UN based on the fact that the underwater continental shelf is an extension of its coast line, “but China did not base its claim on data provided by Taiwan, and it has always claimed so.”
The ministry said the government would follow up on the development and make appropriate responses when necessary.
The MOI was referring to allegations that Wong made during a question-and-answer session on the legislative floor on Friday that researchers in a team organized by the National Science Council for a marine survey had shared their results with China’s State Council after being told to do so by Su Chi (蘇起), National Security Council secretary-general.
She said information about marine meteorology, the continental shelf, ocean temperatures and marine biology were given to China and that China had registered the information with the UN.
Wong voiced her concern that the move, if true, would cause serious damage to Taiwan’s sovereignty.
At the time, Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義), who was being questioned by Wong, said he was not aware of the issue and would look into it.
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