Taiwan has reiterated its sovereignty claim over contested areas of the South China Sea and called for a multilateral mechanism to discuss joint projects in the region, James Tien (田中光), director-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Department of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, said yesterday.
Following a protest by the Philippines to the UN against China over its broad claim to islands and -adjacent waters in the South China Sea, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Shen Ssu-tsun (沈斯淳) summoned Manila Economic and Cultural Office Chairman Amadeo Perez and Resident Representative Antonio Basilio on Monday to express Taiwan’s position on the matter.
The ministry “has yet to hear back from the Philippines” since the meeting, during which Shen provided the two Philippine officials documents that assert the country’s sovereignty over the Spratly Islands (南沙群島), the Paracel Islands (西沙群島), the Macclesfield Bank (中沙群島) and the Pratas Islands (東沙群島), as well as their surrounding waters, sea beds and subsoil, and urged the Philippines to refrain from adopting unilateral measures that threatened regional peace and stability, Tien told a regular press conference.
The ministry has also ordered its offices in other claimant countries to make clear the country’s position on the issue, Tien said.
“We are not in favor of any moves that could cause escalation of tensions in the region and have repeatedly expressed our wish to set aside disputes and jointly explore the area’s resources with other countries through consultation and dialogue,” Tien said.
Taiwan could start with bilateral talks with countries like the Philippines or Vietnam on the issue, but “eventually we wish that the proposed joint-development idea could be discussed under a multilateral mechanism,” Tien said.
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