Even if President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) were to visit Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island; 太平島), it would not help the nation assert its sovereignty over the island, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said yesterday, adding that Taiwan had been sidelined during tribunal hearings in The Hague.
Ko made the remarks in response to media queries about whether the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s ruling has changed his views on former President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) visit to Itu Aba.
The court on Tuesday ruled that China has no historic title over the waters of the South China Sea, where Itu Aba is situated, adding that China’s activities in the region have breached the Philippines’ sovereign rights.
The court also ruled that all of the reefs and tidal features in the Spratly Islands (Nansha Islands, 南沙群島), including Itu Aba, are no more than “rocks.”
Ko said that his views of Ma had not changed.
“If visiting the island will work, we might as well deploy troops there,” he said. “This is a matter of claimants trying to secure their interests. Quite frankly, the court did not seek Taiwan’s opinion. We did not even have a chance to dispute the claims. We were completely sidelined by the international community,” Ko said.
How Taiwan could maximize the benefits of a power struggle between China and the US is a tough question that should be approached with caution, Ko said.
Asked if he would support Tsai if she were to visit Itu Aba, Ko said he believes that the Presidential Office would make the best decision.
Meanwhile, Farglory Group chairman Chao Teng-hsiung (趙藤雄) on Wednesday said that Ko should “cut him some slack” over the suspended Taipei Dome construction project.
When asked by the media to comment on Chao’s remarks, Ko said: “He should cut himself some slack.”
Chao has said that the Taipei City Government has put Farglory in a “torture chamber” with its seven safety standards for the Dome project.
The city has not begun dealing with safety issues surrounding the Dome, Ko said, adding: “Farglory has not even walked through the torture chamber’s doors.”
Taipei Department of Urban Development Commissioner Lin Jou-min (林洲民) said that Farglory had stopped submitting Dome construction blueprints the city’s review committee in December last year.
Lin said that it took the committee three months of research before the seven safety standards were formulated based on the evacuation capacity required for the Dome.
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