Setting an example on EEZ
While Japan claims the 200 nautical miles (370km) around Okinotori reef as its exclusive economic zone (EEZ), in order to set a good example for resolving disputes, Taiwan should not do the same around Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島) no matter how the International Court of Justice identifies it (“Ma Ying-jeou benefits Taiwan’s foe,” May 16, page 8).
Based on the conditions laid out in Article 121 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Okinotori is a reef, not an island, as it is only the size of two beds (9.9m2). The reef cannot sustain human habitation or economic activities, thus it shall have no EEZ or continental shelf.
However, Japan has been insisting that it is an island and has claimed the EEZ right. Japanese authorities’ seizure of a Taiwanese fishing boat in the area last month is a serious violation of freedom to fish on the high seas, as stipulated in Article 87 of the UNCLOS, and it has not only become a thorny issue between Japan and Taiwan, but also the focus of media attention worldwide. For bullying a smaller neighbor, Japan has set a bad example.
Japan has since 1987 invested billions of US dollars to enlarge Okinotori to make it look like an island. The effort will lead nowhere as long as challenges against it keeps coming. Japan’s position is similar to a failed British attempt to claim an EEZ around the Rockall Plateau, a granite outcrop in the north Atlantic Ocean. London eventually dropped its claim in late 1990s when other countries objected.
For the sake of its good image and as a responsible nation, it would be advisable for Tokyo to relinquish its EEZ claim around Okinotori as soon as possible.
Though Itu Aba meets every letter and spirit of Article 121 as an island, Taiwan has not declared an EEZ around it. No matter what the outcome of The Hague court ruling, in order to set a good example for reducing tensions and avoiding confrontations, Taiwan should spare no effort to make Itu Aba a center for international peace and rescue operations, as well as an ecologically friendly and low-carbon island.
This would involve, among other things, international scientific research projects conducted on ecological and marine issues; upgrading the island’s solar and water management systems; and using the island’s hospital as the base for an emergency rescue center.
President-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) of the Democratic Progressive Party has said she would maintain Taiwan’s sovereignty claims to Itu Aba and the surrounding waters. She, like President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), has also called for all parties in the disputes to respect UNCLOS and freedom of navigation and overflight.
I am sure Tsai knows how to employ “soft power” and smart power to make small Taiwan great.
David Tzou
Taoyuan
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