The suggestion by a former American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) director that Taiwan should abandon its current approach to making territorial claims in the South China Sea were his own views, the AIT said on Monday.
AIT spokesman Mark Zimmer told the Central News Agency that William Stanton, who headed the AIT’s Taipei office from 2009 to 2012, did not represent the US government and was speaking in his capacity as a private citizen.
Stanton said in a recent speech that because of the risks of sovereignty disputes in the South China Sea, Taiwan should consider abandoning its claims based on the “nine-dash line.”
Both Taiwan and China use the line, which encompasses most of the South China Sea and extends as far south as the coast of East Malaysia.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs quickly rejected Stanton’s proposal
“The Spratly Islands [Nansha Islands, 南沙群島], Paracel Islands [Xisha Islands, 西沙群島], Macclesfield Bank [Zhongsha Islands, 中沙群島] and the Pratas Islands [Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島], as well as their surrounding waters, are inherent parts of Republic of China [ROC] territory,” the ministry said.
That sovereignty of these areas belongs to the ROC is undeniable from the perspectives of history, geography and international law, the ministry said.
The government aims to work with other nations in the region to maintain regional peace and stability based on the fundamental principle of “safeguarding sovereignty, shelving disputes, pursuing peace and reciprocity, and promoting joint exploration and development,” the ministry said.
The U-shaped nine-dash line dates back to 1947, when the ROC still controlled China, Academia Historica Director Lu Fang-shang (呂芳上) said earlier this month, and it has remained the basis for the territorial claims of both the ROC and the People’s Republic of China.
Washington has publicly challenged China’s use of the line. A US Department of State official said in February that Chinese claims to maritime rights not based on claimed land were inconsistent with international law.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
MEDICAL: The bills would also upgrade the status of the Ethical Guidelines Governing the Research of Human Embryos and Embryonic Stem Cell Research to law The Executive Yuan yesterday approved two bills to govern regenerative medicine that aim to boost development of the field. Taiwan would reach an important milestone in regenerative medicine development with passage of the regenerative medicine act and the regenerative medicine preparations ordinance, which would allow studies to proceed and treatments to be developed, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) told reporters at a news conference after a Cabinet meeting. Regenerative treatments have been used for several conditions, including cancer — by regenerating blood cells — and restoring joint function in soft tissue, Wang said. The draft legislation requires regenerative treatments
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese