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
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