Last week, two US military vessels transited the Taiwan Strait for the first time since US President Donald Trump took office last month.
US Navy Commander Matthew Comer, a spokesman at the US Indo-Pacific Command, said that “the transit occurred through a corridor in the Taiwan Strait that is beyond any coastal state’s territorial seas,” and that “within this corridor, all nations enjoy high-seas freedom of navigation, overflight and other internationally lawful uses of the sea related to these freedoms.”
The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) uses terms such as “internal waters,” “territorial sea,” “contiguous zone” and “exclusive economic zone,” but the term “internal sea” is nowhere to be found.
On June 12, 2022, former Chinese minister of national defense Wei Fenghe (魏鳳和) said at the Shangri-La Dialogue, a major Asian security forum in Singapore, that “the Taiwan Strait is China’s internal sea.” His use of the term “internal sea” — which is not recognized by international law — evidently caused confusion and could mislead the audience.
An April 24, 2023, entry on the blog of political commentator HoonTing (雲程) said that the Taiwan Strait has long been declared a free passageway for all nations, unrelated to UNCLOS. The post refers to a decision by the Japanese Cabinet on July 16, 1895, which stated that the Strait is to be considered international waters.
The decision was made following the Triple Intervention of 1895, in which the Japanese Imperial Government —in balancing the demands of Russia, Germany and France — issued a declaration stating: “The Imperial Government examined the requests of the three governments and considered the interests of international commerce and hereby declare as follows: the Imperial Government recognizes that all portions of the Taiwan Strait should be a public channel, which does not pertain to Japan and does not fall under the jurisdiction of Japan. The Japanese Imperial Government also agrees that Japan should seek no cession of Taiwan and the Pescadores to other countries.”
The Treaty of Shimonoseki, the Treaty of San Francisco and the Treaty of Taipei (also known as the Sino-Japanese Peace Treaty) — signed in 1895, 1951 and 1952 respectively — all demonstrate that the Taiwan Strait has maintained its unchanging legal status as international waters.
Where did this unfounded phrase “internal sea” come from? Comer’s recent acknowledgement that the Taiwan Strait is “beyond any coastal state’s territorial seas” is a widely recognized fact supported by the historical record of the Japanese government’s 130-year-old declaration that the Strait is a public channel.
Chen Yi-nan is an arbitrator.
Translated by Kyra Gustavsen
The gutting of Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA) by US President Donald Trump’s administration poses a serious threat to the global voice of freedom, particularly for those living under authoritarian regimes such as China. The US — hailed as the model of liberal democracy — has the moral responsibility to uphold the values it champions. In undermining these institutions, the US risks diminishing its “soft power,” a pivotal pillar of its global influence. VOA Tibetan and RFA Tibetan played an enormous role in promoting the strong image of the US in and outside Tibet. On VOA Tibetan,
There is much evidence that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is sending soldiers from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — and is learning lessons for a future war against Taiwan. Until now, the CCP has claimed that they have not sent PLA personnel to support Russian aggression. On 18 April, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelinskiy announced that the CCP is supplying war supplies such as gunpowder, artillery, and weapons subcomponents to Russia. When Zelinskiy announced on 9 April that the Ukrainian Army had captured two Chinese nationals fighting with Russians on the front line with details
On a quiet lane in Taipei’s central Daan District (大安), an otherwise unremarkable high-rise is marked by a police guard and a tawdry A4 printout from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicating an “embassy area.” Keen observers would see the emblem of the Holy See, one of Taiwan’s 12 so-called “diplomatic allies.” Unlike Taipei’s other embassies and quasi-consulates, no national flag flies there, nor is there a plaque indicating what country’s embassy this is. Visitors hoping to sign a condolence book for the late Pope Francis would instead have to visit the Italian Trade Office, adjacent to Taipei 101. The death of
By now, most of Taiwan has heard Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an’s (蔣萬安) threats to initiate a vote of no confidence against the Cabinet. His rationale is that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-led government’s investigation into alleged signature forgery in the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) recall campaign constitutes “political persecution.” I sincerely hope he goes through with it. The opposition currently holds a majority in the Legislative Yuan, so the initiation of a no-confidence motion and its passage should be entirely within reach. If Chiang truly believes that the government is overreaching, abusing its power and targeting political opponents — then
RSS