The territory of the Republic of China includes the area of People’s Republic of China (PRC), the South China Sea and the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台), Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) spokesman Steve Hsia (夏季昌) said yesterday.
Hsia made the remarks in response to reporters’ inquiries regarding China’s plan to publish a new official map, which includes islands in the South China Sea, the Diaoyutais and Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic of China.
Xinhua news agency issued a statement on Saturday announcing that China for the first time has inked South China Sea islands on its new official maps in equal scale to China.
The map also for the first time features an illustration of the Diaoyutai Islands, Xinhua said.
During a regular news briefing yesterday, Hsia was asked by reporters if the ministry planned to lodge a protest against China over the new map.
Hsia said that matters related to the government’s dealings with China fall under the Mainland Affairs Council and not the ministry.
According to the Constitution, the Spratlys (Nansha Islands, 南沙群島), the Paracels (Xisha Islands, 西沙群島), the Pratas (Dongshan Islands, 東沙群島), the Macclesfield Bank (Zhongsha Islands, 中沙群島), other islands in the entire South China Sea region, the Diaoyutais and the area of the PRC are all inherent territory of the ROC, Hsia said.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
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