The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has asked to see Philippine Representative to Taiwan Antonio Basilio to express its concern over his country’s recent move to claim sovereignty over the Spratly Islands (南沙群島), an official said yesterday.
Basilio was asked by James Tien (田中光), director-general of the Department of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, to see him following the visit by some Philippine lawmakers to the islands where they raised the country’s flag.
During the 30-minute meeting, Tien reiterated Taiwan’s position over the Spratly Islands and expressed the nation’s wish to take part in mechanisms that would seek to come up with resolutions for the disputed area of the South China Sea, an official not authorized to speak publicly who wished to remain anonymous said.
Photo: CNA
Taiwan and the Philippines are among six countries that have -territorial claims in the South China Sea, along with China, Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia.
China, which had resisted supporting a negotiations over disputes in the South China Sea, on Wednesday agreed to draft guidelines on averting tensions in the area at a meeting with senior officials of ASEAN in Bali, Indonesia.
MOFA spokesperson James Chang (章計平) said the country “did not recognize the effectiveness of the code of conduct because the Republic of China, which has sovereignty over the South China Sea, did not participate in it.”
Chang said Taiwan would begin seeking bilateral dialogue with members of ASEAN and use every possible means to get access to the multilateral mechanism to resolve South China Sea disputes.
The government would continue to advocate setting aside disputes and jointly developing the area’s resources with neighboring countries, Chang said.
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