The Democratic Progressive Party’s Department of Foreign Affairs on Saturday called for a multilateral approach to the ongoing tensions in the South China Sea.
The DPP’s reiteration of its position that issues related to the South China Sea must be addressed through a multilateral framework came following a draft agreement on the guidelines for the implementation of the Declaration of Conduct between China and ASEAN earlier this month.
“Despite several calls from China for ‘cooperation between the two sides of the strait’ on the South China Sea issue, the DPP urges President Ma Ying-jeou’s [馬英九] administration to take part in multilateral talks with all parties involved in order to serve Taiwan’s best interest and to preserve regional stability,” the statement said in English.
The statement said that when Ma served as Mainland Affairs Council deputy minister in the 1990s, he said that the two sides of the strait must set aside sovereignty differences and work together on the South China Sea issue while “dealing with outside parties in a unified way.”
“The DPP strongly opposes this proposal as we believe that bilateral talks alone will not help in resolving disputes in the region, and will send the wrong message to the international community,” the statement says, adding that disputes in the South China Sea could not be effectively resolved solely through bilateral negotiations.
“We have already seen the escalation of tensions in the region due to military exercises conducted by China, Vietnam, the Philippines and the United States,” it says. “The DPP believes that only open communication channels, through a multilateral cooperation framework, are the best solution to insure the common interests of all relevant parties and to maintain peace and stability in the region.”
DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has indicated that Taiwan has its own viewpoint regarding the Spratly Islands, and it disputes Beijing’s claims over the territory, it says.
“Taiwan should not be restricted to a cross-strait bilateral framework. Only an open multilateral framework will prevent unnecessary tension or potential conflicts in the region,” it says.
Reiterating the “four core standpoints” regarding the South China Sea, the DPP said Taiwan must ensure sovereignty, peace and stability in the region, enhance multilateral cooperation and promote sustainable development.
“These points are in accordance with the Spratly Initiative proposed by the DPP government in -February 2008. The initiative proposed by the DPP advocates for environmental protection, setting aside sovereignty disputes, promotion of sustainable development versus exploiting natural resources and resolving differences through peaceful means,” it said.
The DPP statement came as the China Marine Surveillance (CMS) on Saturday commissioned the 3,000-tonne Haijian 50 surveillance vessel in Shanghai, the latest ship to join the agency’s increasingly modern and heavy fleet.
The CMS, an organ of the State Oceanic Administration, in May announced it would increase personnel, upgrade its existing fleet and acquire new surveillance ships to patrol its territorial waters over the next five years. As part of the 12th Five Year Plan approved by the State Council, 36 Haijian surveillance ships will join the CMS fleet, British defense publication Jane’s Defence Weekly reported at the time.
Last week, Chinese media also announced that the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) had officially launched the Yuzhao-class Type 071 Jinggangshan landing platform dock (LPD). At 19,000 tonnes, the Jinggangshan — the second Type 071 in the PLAN — is the heaviest LPD in the Chinese fleet.
Defense reports say a third Type 071 is being built.
LPDs, which can accommodate helicopters, armored vehicles, boats and soldiers, can be used in both humanitarian and war-fighting missions.
Reports said the official launch appeared to be timed to send signals as tensions continue to rise in the South China Sea.
Seven of the 17 NT$10 million (US$311,604) winning receipts from the November-December uniform invoice lottery remain unclaimed as of today, the Ministry of Finance said, urging winners to redeem their prizes by May 5. The reminder comes ahead of the release of the winning numbers for the January-February lottery tomorrow. Among the unclaimed receipts was one for a NT$173 phone bill in Keelung, while others were for a NT$5,913 purchase at Costco in Taipei's Neihu District (內湖), a NT$49 purchase at a FamilyMart in New Taipei City's Tamsui District (淡水), and a NT$500 purchase at a tea shop in New Taipei City's
Taiwanese officials were shown the first of 66 F-16V fighter jets purchased by Taiwan from the United States, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday, adding the aircraft has completed an initial flight test and is expected to be delivered later this year. A delegation led by Deputy Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) visited Lockheed Martin’s F-16 C/D Block 70 (also known as F-16V) assembly line in South Carolina on March 16 to view the aircraft. The jet will undergo a final acceptance flight in the US before being delivered to Taiwan, the
Deliveries of delayed F-16V jets are expected to begin in September, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said today, after senior defense officials visited the US last week. The US in 2019 approved a US$8 billion sale of Lockheed Martin F-16 jets to Taiwan, a deal that would take the nation’s F-16 fleet to more than 200 jets, but the project has been hit by issues including software problems. Koo appeared today before a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, which is discussing different versions of the special defense budget this week. The committee is questioning officials today,
TALENT SCOUTING: The university is investing substantial funds in its future to bring in the kind of researchers that would keep the college internationally competitive National Taiwan University (NTU) plans to invest NT$2 billion (US$62.6 million) to launch two programs aimed at attracting and retaining top research talent, university president Chen Wen-chang (陳文章) said yesterday. The funding would support the “Palm Grove Scholars Project,” which targets academics aged 40 to 55. Up to 20 scholars would be selected, each receiving as much as NT$10 million annually, Chen said. The initiative is designed to attract leading researchers to Taiwan and strengthen NTU’s global competitiveness by fostering a more research-friendly environment and expanding international collaboration, he said. NTU is also introducing a “Hong Hu” chair grant, which would provide Palm
RSS