The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday reiterated Taiwan’s claim to sovereignty over the disputed Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) amid rising tensions between China and Japan over the issue, and urged the involved parties to peacefully resolve the issue.
“We don’t want to see any unilateral behavior that would worsen the dispute. The Republic of China [ROC] government urges all parties involved to set aside disputes and collaborate on the development of the region,” ministry spokesman James Chang (章計平) said at a press briefing.
Chang’s comment came after China and Japan were reportedly planning to step up efforts to solidify their sovereignty claims over the islands, which lie about 100 nautical miles (185km) off Taiwan’s northeast tip in the East China Sea.
According to media reports, China is planning to send vessels to execute regular patrols and strengthen its presence around the Diaoyutais, known as the Senkakus in Japan.
Responding to a reporter, Chang denied that Taiwan’s claim was compromised by the international incident, saying that Taiwan’s position has been firm on the issue and that the islands are “indisputable ROC territory.”
Asked what concrete action Taiwan would take to “avoid being marginalized in [the] multilateral discussion,” Chang said: “We have issued five statements and have held high-level inter-agency meetings since the incident. We have also been monitoring every development, including the remarks on the US-Japan Security Treaty and military drills in the region.”
Taiwan recognizes that the spirit of the US-Japan Security Treaty was aimed at maintaining peace and stability in the region, but “to our knowledge, the US does not take any position on the issue of sovereignty over the Diaoyutai Islands,” he said.
After the Sept. 7 incident, Taiwan summoned Japan’s top envoy, Tadashi Imai, on Sept. 13 to address the dispute.
The ministry said on Sept. 14 that Taiwan “is not siding with China” on the issue after two Taiwanese activists abandoned their protest near the disputed islands when their action was thwarted by the Japanese coast guard.
In related news, during yesterday’s question-and-answer session in the legislature, Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) said that he would “cautiously consider” the suggestion made by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Liu Shen-liang (劉盛良) that he lead officials in setting sail to the Diaoyutais to declare the country’s sovereignty over the territory.
Asked by Liu to declare the government’s stance on the issue, Wu said its position has been governed by two principles — reaffirming the country’s sovereignty over the Diaoyutais in a forceful way and protecting fishermen’s rights in the waters, as well as refraining from taking any actions that could escalate tensions over the issue.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY SHIH HSIU-CHUAN
Trips for more than 100,000 international and domestic air travelers could be disrupted as China launches a military exercise around Taiwan today, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said yesterday. The exercise could affect nearly 900 flights scheduled to enter the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) during the exercise window, it added. A notice issued by the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration showed there would be seven temporary zones around the Taiwan Strait which would be used for live-fire exercises, lasting from 8am to 6pm today. All aircraft are prohibited from entering during exercise, it says. Taipei FIR has 14 international air routes and
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
City buses in Taipei and New Taipei City, as well as the Taipei MRT, would on Saturday begin accepting QR code payments from five electronic payment providers, the Taipei Department of Transportation said yesterday. The new option would allow passengers to use the “transportation QR code” feature from EasyWallet, iPass Money, iCash Pay, Jkopay or PXPay Plus. Passengers should open their preferred electronic payment app, select the “transportation code” — not the regular payment code — unlock it, and scan the code at ticket readers or gates, General Planning Division Director-General Liu Kuo-chu (劉國著) said. People should move through the
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) today released images of the military tracking China’s People's Liberation Army (PLA) movements during the latest round of Chinese drills around Taiwan. The PLA began "Justice Mission 2025" drills today, carrying out live-fire drills, simulated strikes on land and maritime targets, and exercises to blockade the nation's main ports. The exercises are to continue tomorrow, with the PLA announcing sea and air space restrictions for five zones around Taiwan for 10 hours starting from 8:30am. The ministry today released images showing a Chinese J-16 fighter jet tracked by a F-16V Block 20 jet and the
RSS