Minister of National Defense Feng Shih-kuan (馮世寬) yesterday said that the ministry has prepared three countermeasures ahead of the verdict on an international arbitration case filed by the Philippines against China’s claims in the South China Sea that is expected on Tuesday.
Feng made the remarks at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, during which he was quizzed by lawmakers on how the government is preparing to respond to the verdict.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) asked Feng whether he agreed with former Chinese state councilor Dai Bingguo’s (戴秉國) recent dismissal of the ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague on the controversial case as “just a piece of wastepaper.”
Feng declined to comment, but said the government’s policy is to shelve disputes and seek joint development of resources.
Chiang continued to press Feng on the matter, asking if the ministry has any countermeasures in place because not all concerned parties were willing to put aside disputes and that the widely anticipated ruling could fuel tensions in the disputed waters.
“The ministry has prepared three countermeasures: Stepping up surveillance of regional situations; evaluations of intelligence information regarding our neighboring countries; and strengthening the nation’s reaction capability,” Feng said.
Feng said it required political judgement to determine regional situations and how each of the concerned countries react to the verdict, adding that the government would reiterate its sovereignty over Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島) and would continue shipping supplies there.
Itu Aba is the largest naturally occurring island in the Spratly Islands (Nansha Islands, 南沙群島), which has been administered by Taiwan since 1956 and is also claimed by China, the Philippines and Vietnam.
In a move to refute Manila’s claims that Itu Abu is merely a “rock” because of its inability to sustain human habitation, former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) visited the island in January before inviting a group of foreign correspondences to visit it in March.
Feng said the ministry is aware of and has kept close tabs on the activities of two US aircraft carriers USS John C. Stennis and USS Ronald Reagan, which were dispatched last month to launch operations in the South China Sea.
“We also do not want to see the situations escalate into conflicts or see any changes. The nation’s armed forces will continue daily routine cruise patrols and surveillance in the neighboring waters,” Feng said, adding that the military is able to fully grasp a situation and respond promptly.
The Philippines brought the case to the international court to undermine China’s claims that it has sovereignty over the waters of the South China Sea.
Manila argues that the land formations China claims in the South China Sea are nothing more than reefs and therefore not entitled to 200 nautical mile (370km) exclusive economic zones, which buttresses Beijing’s insistence that it has sovereignty over the waters.
China has repeatedly rejected the tribunal’s jurisdiction over the case since it was filed in 2013.
Although Taiwan is not a party to the case, its claims in the South China Sea are similar to those of China and Itu Aba was brought up in testimony during the court hearings.
Should the court rule that Itu Aba is not an island according to international law, it would also undercut some of Taiwan’s claims.
Additional Reporting by CNA
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