Minister of the Interior Chen Wei-zen’s (陳威仁) inspection of the Spratly Islands (Nansha Islands, 南沙群島) in the South China Sea was an exercise of Taiwan’s sovereignty over its territory and was none of any other nations’ business, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Chen on Saturday presided over the opening of a renovated wharf and a newly constructed lighthouse on Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島), the largest of the disputed Spratly Islands.
The move drew Vietnam’s ire, whose foreign ministry spokesperson Le Hai Binh on Sunday said that it is Vietnam that, based on legal and historical evidence, has sovereignty over the Spratlys and the Paracel Islands (Xisha Islands, 西沙群島) in the South China Sea.
Le said any action on the islands without Vietnamese government’s consent would be “illegal and invalid.”
In response, the ministry said it is beyond doubt that the Republic of China (ROC) enjoys the rights governed by international law over the South China Sea, including the Spratlys and the Paracels, Macclesfield Bank (Zhongsha Islands, 中沙群島) and the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) and surrounding waters.
As the largest naturally formed island in the Spratlys, Taiping has always been part of the ROC, under the jurisdiction of Cijin District (旗津) of Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan, the ministry said.
Over the years since the ROC has stationed personnel on the islet, the nation has never had any armed conflict with other nations and has never obstructed sea or air travel around the island or interfered with overflights, the ministry said.
Vietnam’s accusation that Chen’s inspection of the island has damaged regional peace is not factual and runs counter to the universal knowledge of the international community, it added.
It said the ROC’s upgrading of infrastructure on the island was aimed at “supply” and “maintenance” that would improve local personnel’s quality of life and help accomplish the island’s missions as a base for scientific research, emergency rescue and environmental protection.
Building a lighthouse on the island helps guarantee the safety of navigation for vessels operating nearby, it said.
Taiwan has declared that it plans to transform Taiping into an island of peace, ecological preservation and low carbon emissions, and would help realize President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) South China Sea peace initiative.
The peace initiative is based on the principles of “setting aside sovereignty disputes” and “jointly developing resources,” the initiative said.
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