The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday reiterated its position that the Republic of China (ROC) “has indisputable sovereignty” over Jhongye Island (中業島) in the South China Sea, in response to the Philippines’ plan to construct a pier in the disputed region.
In a statement issued at 12:20am yesterday, Taipei repeated its three-point position on the South China Sea after the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) defended the construction of the wharf and insisted that the area is its territory on Friday.
According to the Manila Times, the Philippines said the building of a ferry pier on the island, known in the Philippines as Pagasa, is a “clear exercise” of Philippine sovereignty.
DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez was quoted as saying that “Pagasa Island is ours. It is part of the municipality of Kalayaan.”
It is the government’s obligation to bring progress and development to the municipality of Kalayaan for Filipinos living in the islands of the municipality, Hernandez was quoted as saying, adding that the pier would facilitate the delivery of basic necessities and government services for the Filipinos in Pagasa.
Manila issued the statement in response to a protest lodged by the Chinese foreign ministry against its construction of the wharf.
In Taipei, MOFA said Jhongye Island — which is part of the Spratly Islands (南沙群島) — along with Paracel Islands (西沙群島), Macclesfield Bank (中沙群島), Pratas Islands (東沙群島) and their surrounding waters are all “an inherent part of the ROC’s territory from the perspective of history, geography or international law.”
The ROC government reasserts that it enjoys all rights over the islands and their surrounding waters and that it does not accept any claims to sovereignty over, or occupation of, these areas by other countries, MOFA said.
Taipei’s policy on the South China Sea calls for countries in the region to respect the principles and spirit of the UN Charter and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and to refrain from adopting unilateral measures that could threaten peace and stability in the region.
“Our country remains willing to participate in dialogue that seeks to find resolutions to disputes and to promote regional peace, stability and development,” MOFA said.
Taipei says that it upholds the basic principles of “safeguarding sovereignty, shelving disputes, peace and reciprocity, and joint exploration” and remains willing to cooperate with other countries to explore for resources in the South China Sea.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
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