President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), ignoring US criticism, yesterday visited Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島) in the South China Sea, where he reiterated the Republic of China’s (ROC) sovereignty over the land mass and its status as an island.
Accompanied by government officials and academics, Ma boarded the presidential plane at the Songshan Air Force Base in Taipei, flying to Pingtung County early yesterday morning, before transferring to a C-130 transport aircraft bound for Itu Aba.
Ma arrived at about 11am on Itu Aba, the largest 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.
Photo: CNA
Ma is the second ROC president to set foot on the island, after then-president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), who visited it on Feb. 2, 2008.
After meeting with staff stationed on the island, Ma delivered a speech in front of a memorial tablet bearing a message from him that read: “Peace in the South China Sea and our national territory secure forever.”
“I am very happy to be here today, before the Lunar New Year, on Taiping Island, with all of you stationed on the Nansha Islands, which are part of the southern territories of the ROC,” Ma said.
Ma said the disputed islands in the South China Sea were first discovered, named and used by the Chinese in the 1st century BC, and the ROC government later published maps of the islands in 1935 and 1947.
The Spratly Islands, the Paracel Islands (Xisha Islands, 西沙群島), the Macclesfield Bank (Zhongsha Islands, 中沙群島), and Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) are all an inherent part of the ROC’s territory and waters, whether from the perspective of history, geography, or international law, Ma said.
“To resolve disputes in the South China Sea... on May 26, 2015, I put forth the South China Sea Peace Initiative, calling on all parties concerned to reduce tensions, increase dialogue, abide by international law, uphold freedom of navigation and overflight, maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea, and settle disputes peacefully,” Ma said.
In an effort to flesh out the initiative, Ma yesterday proposed a “South China Sea Peace Initiative Roadmap,” based on “three yeses and three noes”: yes to cooperation, no to confrontation; yes to sharing, no to monopolization; and yes to pragmatism, no to intransigence.
Ma said the roadmap offers a viable path, two essential elaborations and three phases of progress.
“The viable path consists of shelving disputes, integrated planning and zonal development,” he said.
The two essential elaborations call for concerned parties to be included in the initiative’s consultation mechanism, and to engage in cooperation and negotiations, Ma said, adding that the mechanism should not impede the formation of a final agreement on the territorial disputes.
The three phases of progress refer to short, medium and long-term planning, with the government working to transform Taiping into an island for peace and rescue operations, as well as an ecologically friendly and low-carbon island, the president said.
Ma rejected the Philippines’ categorization of Itu Aba as a “rock,” saying the island has sufficient natural vegetation thanks to its favorable soil and water quality.
“Such statements [by the Philippines] have no basis in either science or fact; they are totally wrong. The economic, environmental and cultural realms all provide sufficient evidence to show that the island has — and has had for more than 100 years — ample resources to be self-sufficient,” Ma said.
The island is home to 106 indigenous plant species, several animal species, a variety of sources of food, and a 10-bed hospital manned by two physicians, a dentist and three nurses, he said.
“All this evidence fully demonstrates that Taiping Island can sustain human habitation and an economic life of its own. It is not a rock, but an island, and meets the criteria for an island as specified in Article 121 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea,” he added.
Ma arrived back in Taipei at about 5:40pm.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS