A recent proposal by lawmakers to strengthen the country’s military presence on Taiping Island (太平島) gathered support yesterday from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and academics.
Citing former US president Ronald Reagan’s slogan “Peace through Strength,” Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Yang (楊進添) said the ministry would “support any action that enhances the Republic of China’s defense capability in the South China Sea.”
Disputes about territorial claims throughout the region “can only be resolved through peaceful means,” which is the position that has long been held by the government, Yang said.
However, “peace is based on strength,” he told the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. “There will be no peace without strength.”
Yang made the remarks while fielding questions from Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Yu-fang (林郁方), who last week proposed a motion to freeze NT$200 million (US$6.6 million) out of the Ministry of National Defense’s NT$67.2 billion budget for equipment until the ministry presents a plan for building up the nation’s military position in the region.
Lin’s suggestion to deploy the air force’s Antelope air defense system — a derivative of the indigenous Tien Chien I “Sky Sword” (天劍一, TC-1) air-to-air missile used on the CK-1 Indigenous Defense Fighter — on Taiping Island, the largest of the disputed Spratly Islands (南沙群島) controlled by Taiwan, has received favorable response from Minister of National Defense Kao Hua-chu (高華柱).
KMT Legislator Herman Shuai (帥化民) urged Yang to seriously consider suggestions to build a military post on Taiping Island that Taiwan could leverage in its dealings with Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia.
Citing logistical difficulties, the ministry withdrew its marines from the Pratas Islands (東沙群島) and Spratly Islands in 1999, leaving the coast guard to patrol those territories.
Shuai suggested the government redeploy marines to Taiping Island.
“Not only that, I further suggest that we have one or two combat helicopters and rescue helicopters there in the event of provocative actions [by other claimants,]” he said.
The proposal was also supported by Liu Fu-kuo (劉復國), a professor at National Chengchi University, and Wang Kuan-hsiung (王冠雄), a professor at National Normal University, who are both deeply involved in the Track II meetings on South China Sea issues.
Liu, who was invited to present a paper on Taiwan’s interests and positions on South China Sea at a forum in Manila co-hosted by the Philippines and Singapore on Monday, said the proposal had “sent a message to countries surrounding the region that Taiwan takes the issue seriously.”
The idea to enhance Taiwan’s military presence in the region was observed by the Philippines and other claimants “as a matter of course” because countries such as China, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines have been very active in increasing military preparedness, Liu said by telephone yesterday.
“Taiwan is already the last country to make preparations in this regard. If we continue to be inactive, other countries would consider that we are just indifferent to the issue,” he said.
Wang, who also participated in the forum, said the proposal aroused a brief discussion at the forum and was a subject of chat among attendants at the sidelines of the event.
Mark Valencia, a research associate at the US-based National Asia Research Program NBA and Woodrow Wilson Center, as well as a renowned specialist on South China Sea issues, raised concerns that deployment of missiles on Taiping Island could lead to instability in the region, Wang said.
Wang said he was in support of the initiative because it has helped draw the attention of concerned parties to the country’s sovereignty contention in the region and would help deter threats against Taiping Islands and protect the safety of coast guards on the island.
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