US Secretary of State John Kerry yesterday urged claimants to territory in the East and South China seas to create negotiating space for resolution of the issues and he cited the efforts of Taiwan and Japan as examples.
Speaking at the East-West Center in Hawaii on the US’ vision for Asia-Pacific engagement, Kerry said the US takes no position on the sovereignty claims in the East China Sea, but cares about how these matters are resolved.
The US cannot impose solutions on the claimants, and is not seeking to do that, he said.
“But the recent settlement between Indonesia and the Philippines is an example of how these disputes could be resolved through good-faith negotiations,” Kerry said. “Japan and Taiwan, likewise, showed last year that it’s possible to promote regional stability despite conflicting claims.”
He was referring to Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) decision to put aside the nation’s disputes with Japan over the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) in the East China Sea and to conclude an agreement with Tokyo on fishing rights near the islands, known as the Senkakus in Japan.
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