Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Yang (楊進添) yesterday reaffirmed the government’s position that Taiwan will not make any concessions on the nation’s territorial sovereignty over the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) and called on Japan to deal with the matter with rationality and deliberation.
“There is no question that the Diaoyutais have been an integral part of the territory of the Republic of China [ROC] since ancient times, as evidenced by historical facts, geology, international law and the operations of traditional Taiwanese fishermen,” Yang said on the sidelines of a press conference to promote an emergency aid application for Taiwanese traveling abroad, known as Travel Emergency Guidance, launched by the ministry.
Yang said that despite the nation’s full sovereignty over the islands, the government must put aside long-standing disputes over the matter while inviting other countries to jointly explore and share resources in an amicable, equal and a reciprocal manner.
The foreign minister made the remark following a new round of disputes over the islands, as well as confirmation by Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda on Saturday of a report that the Japanese government was mulling buying a chain of islands in the Diaoyutais from a Japanese man who claims them as his inheritance and nationalizing them at a later date.
Asked about the possibility of the government adopting “concrete measures” to safeguard the nation’s sovereignty, Yang said the ministry would seek further deliberation with concerned agencies and put in place proper countermeasures.
“[Any future actions] would be contingent on the development of the matter,” Yang said.
Meanwhile, the Chinese navy yesterday started a six-day live-fire military drill, which will run through Sunday, in the East China Sea. The exercise comes at a sensitive time and has added to the already considerable tension in the region.
Yang urged all parties to remain calm and react cautiously while refraining from any inflammatory rhetoric or conduct that could adversely impact the regional status quo.
He reiterated that Taiwan would not join hands with China in asserting sovereignty over the islands, adding the country has its own stance and national interests on the issue.
STAY AWAY: An official said people should avoid disturbing snakes, as most do not actively attack humans, but would react defensively if threatened Taitung County authorities yesterday urged the public to stay vigilant and avoid disturbing snakes in the wild, following five reported snakebite cases in the county so far this year. Taitung County Fire Department secretary Lin Chien-cheng (林建誠) said two of the cases were in Donghe Township (東河) and involved the Taiwan habus, one person was bit by a Chinese pit viper near the South Link Railway and the remaining two were caused by unidentified snakes. He advised residents near fields to be cautious of snakes hiding in shady indoor areas, especially when entering or leaving their homes at night. In case of a
ENERGY RESILIENCE: Although Alaska is open for investments, Taiwan is sourcing its gas from the Middle East, and the sea routes carry risks, Ho Cheng-hui said US government officials’ high-profile reception of a Taiwanese representative at the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference indicated the emergence of an Indo-Pacific energy resilience alliance, an academic said. Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Men-an (潘孟安) attended the conference in Alaska on Thursday last week at the invitation of the US government. Pan visited oil and gas facilities with senior US officials, including US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy and US Senator Daniel Sullivan. Pan attending the conference on behalf of President William Lai (賴清德) shows a significant elevation in diplomatic representation,
Credit departments of farmers’ and fishers’ associations blocked a total of more than NT$180 million (US$6.01 million) from being lost to scams last year, National Police Agency (NPA) data showed. The Agricultural Finance Agency (AFA) said last week that staff of farmers’ and fishers’ associations’ credit departments are required to implement fraud prevention measures when they serve clients at the counter. They would ask clients about personal financial management activities whenever they suspect there might be a fraud situation, and would immediately report the incident to local authorities, which would send police officers to the site to help, it said. NPA data showed
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan at 7pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter of the temblor was at sea, about 69.9km south of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 30.9km, it said. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County’s Changbin Township (長濱), where it measured 5 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 4 in Hualien, Nantou, Chiayi, Yunlin, Changhua and Miaoli counties, as well as
RSS