The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has called recent claims made by the Philippines and Vietnam to an extended continental shelf in the South China Sea “unacceptable.”
“The actions by the Philippines and Vietnam have infringed upon our country’s sovereignty and rights under international laws and maritime laws in the South China Sea,” the ministry said in a news release.
The statement came two days after Vietnam filed a submission with the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) to seek formal validation of the outer boundaries of its legal continental shelf beyond the current 200 nautical mile (370km) limit, a month after the Philippines made a similar move.
Photo: Yang Cheng-yu, Taipei Times
The ministry said the claims were “unacceptable” and reiterated Taiwan’s sovereign rights to its islands in the South China Sea.
However, the ministry also said that Taiwan was willing to address issues related to the South China Sea with the international community “on the basis of equal consultation.”
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on July 19, 2016, proposed “four principles” and “five actions” on issues in the South China Sea, which include principles such as “disputes should be resolved by setting aside differences and promoting joint development,” which shows that Taiwan is willing to have equal consultation with the international community to address the issues and jointly maintain regional peace and stability, it said.
Many countries have contested territorial claims in the South China Sea, including, Taiwan, China, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia.
On June 17, Beijing denounced the Philippines’ June 15 submission to the CLCS to extend its continental shelf, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China saying that Manila’s claims had infringed upon China’s sovereign rights.
Taiwan would benefit from more integrated military strategies and deployments if the US and its allies treat the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea as a “single theater of operations,” a Taiwanese military expert said yesterday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said he made the assessment after two Japanese military experts warned of emerging threats from China based on a drill conducted this month by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command. Japan Institute for National Fundamentals researcher Maki Nakagawa said the drill differed from the
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
A rally held by opposition parties yesterday demonstrates that Taiwan is a democratic country, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that if opposition parties really want to fight dictatorship, they should fight it on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) held a protest with the theme “against green communists and dictatorship,” and was joined by the Taiwan People’s Party. Lai said the opposition parties are against what they called the “green communists,” but do not fight against the “Chinese communists,” adding that if they really want to fight dictatorship, they should go to the right place and face
A 79-year-old woman died today after being struck by a train at a level crossing in Taoyuan, police said. The woman, identified by her surname Wang (王), crossed the tracks even though the barriers were down in Jhongli District’s (中壢) Neili (內壢) area, the Taoyuan Branch of the Railway Police Bureau said. Surveillance footage showed that the railway barriers were lowered when Wang entered the crossing, but why she ventured onto the track remains under investigation, the police said. Police said they received a report of an incident at 6:41am involving local train No. 2133 that was heading from Keelung to Chiayi City. Investigators
RSS