The government on Friday reiterated its claim over the disputed Paracel Islands (Xisha Islands, 西沙群島) in the South China Sea while expressing concern over escalating tensions between Vietnam and China over a large Chinese oil rig in the area.
Tensions in the broad swath of sea have so escalated that as many as dozens of Chinese and Vietnamese ships are in a standoff, sparking worries that a larger conflict could be brewing.
As the two claimants continued to rebuke each other over the incidents, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected their claims of sovereignty over or occupation of the islands, which it said rightfully belong to the Republic of China (ROC) government.
The ministry reiterated its position that “from the perspective of history, geography and international law,” the ROC’s inherent territory extends to the Spratly Islands (Nansha Islands, 南沙群島), Paracels, Macclesfield Bank (Zhongsha Islands, 中沙群島) and Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) as well as their surrounding waters and respective seabed and subsoil.
“There is no doubt that the Republic of China has sovereignty over the archipelagos and waters,” the statement said.
It went on to restate the basic principles proposed as part of President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) East China Sea peace initiative: safeguarding sovereignty while working to shelve disputes, promoting peace and reciprocity among claimants, and jointly exploring the region’s resources.
As for the ongoing clashes, the ministry urged self-restraint and a peaceful resolution to be reached through consultation and dialogue.
UNDER INVESTIGATION: Huang’s body was found just outside the bathroom and showed no signs of a struggle, and no alcohol or drugs were found Singer and actor Alien Huang (黃鴻升) was found dead at his home in Taipei’s Beitou District (北投) yesterday. He was 36. Huang was also known by the nickname Xiao Gui (“little ghost”). His body was found when his father went to check on him after being unable to reach him by telephone, and called emergency services to the house at 11am, the Taipei City Police Department said. Huang’s body, which was discovered just outside the bathroom, showed no signs of a physical struggle, and he appeared to have been dead for some time, police said, adding that no drugs or alcohol were
CONFIRMED IN PHILIPPINES: The CECC would conduct contact tracing for the migrant workers to determine if they had come into contact with elderly people or children Six Filipinos tested positive for COVID-19 upon returning home from Taiwan, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday as it reported a case of imported COVID-19 infection, bringing the number of confirmed cases in Taiwan to 500. Philippine authorities reported four of the cases through the National IHR Focal Point, while the other two were reported by the company that they had worked for in Taiwan. The six — five women and one man — are aged from their 20s to 40s, and worked as in-home care workers, domestic workers, factory workers and sailors in Taiwan, said Minister of Health and
TIME FOR CHANGE: Most of those at a public hearing organized by the DPP’s Chung Chia-pin also agreed that the Control Yuan and Examination Yuan should be abolished Taiwan needs a new constitution, as the current one was adopted in Nanjing in 1946, when the Republic of China (ROC) represented all of China, while the Control Yuan and Examination Yuan should be abolished, legal experts and academics said yesterday during a public hearing at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei. Chang Kun-sheng (張錕盛), a law professor and secretary-general of the Taiwan Administrative Law Association, said that it is time to draft a new constitution. The ROC Constitution was adopted during a National Constituent Assembly meeting in Nanjing shortly after World War II and before the Chinese Civil War had fully erupted,
The COVID-19 pandemic might not have originated from a seafood market in Wuhan, China, National Taiwan University College of Public Health professor Tony Chen (陳秀熙) said yesterday. While many countries are experiencing second waves of COVID-19 infections, many are also lifting lockdowns to revive their economies, allowing travelers to cross national borders, Chen said. Academics have been questioning whether genetic mutations in the novel coronavirus in different countries have made it more infectious, he added. Academics from different backgrounds have conducted phylogenetic analysis of SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences, he said, adding that the studies can help scientists understand how the virus spread among
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