The political philosophy and behavior of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) concerning the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) is fundamentally wrong and risks creating the false perception that Taiwan sides with China at the expense of its relations with Japan, a senior Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) official said yesterday.
“Placing the sovereignty issue at the forefront of the bilateral dispute is a fatal mistake because it escalates tensions and increases mistrust” between Taiwan and Japan, a senior DPP official familiar with the issue said.
The official wished to remain anonymous because his comments did not represent the DPP’s official position.
By saying “we will not give one inch” on sovereignty and sending five coast guard vessels to escort a fishing boat full of activists waving a People’s Republic of China (PRC) flag in the waters around the Diaoyutais, Ma is sending “confused and misleading signals” to Japan and the US, the official said.
Ma’s message is particularly difficult to understand given that the US Department of State recently reaffirmed that the Diaoyutais, known as the Senkakus in Japan, fall within the region defined in the bilateral Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the US and Japan, he said.
“At the end of the day, Ma’s approach not only fails to resolve the sovereignty dispute, it also raises tensions and gives people the impression that Taiwan is on the same side as China,” he said.
In contrast, the DPP prioritized the fishing rights of Taiwanese fishermen over sovereignty, as seen by the seven rounds of fishing rights talks held under the former DPP administration. As a result it was able to forge closer bilateral ties and persuade Japan to recognize Taiwanese drivers’ licenses, despite the dispute over the islands, the official said.
Although the DPP and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) agree that Taiwan claims sovereignty over the islets, they have different philosophies, said DPP New Taipei City (新北市) office director Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政), an expert on international politics.
“For the DPP, the Diaoyutais are part of Taiwan. Period. For the KMT, the Diaoyutais belong to Taiwan and Taiwan is part of China,” he said.
Ma’s philosophy has made Beijing a major player in the game, Lo said, because “Beijing cannot claim sovereignty over the Diaoyutais without claiming sovereignty over Taiwan.”
It has also jeopardized Taiwan’s sovereignty, Lo said.
Lo made a similar observation about the DPP’s strategy of setting aside the dispute over sovereignty and promoting cooperation in other areas, such as fishing rights.
If the strategy works for other claimants of territory in the South China Sea, it should work for Taiwan and Japan over the Diaoyutai Islands, Lo said.
However, not all DPP members are on the same page. DPP Legislator Chen Ou-po (陳歐珀), who said he supported the “fishing rights first” approach, condemned Japan’s recent blocking of Taiwanese fishing boats from his constituency of Yilan County in the area and said he was considering visiting the islands himself.
Lo said Chen’s planned visit was “a matter of concern” and was unlikely to help create a more positive atmosphere as the two sides work to resolve the territorial dispute.
A Chinese freighter that allegedly snapped an undersea cable linking Taiwan proper to Penghu County is suspected of being owned by a Chinese state-run company and had docked at the ports of Kaohsiung and Keelung for three months using different names. On Tuesday last week, the Togo-flagged freighter Hong Tai 58 (宏泰58號) and its Chinese crew were detained after the Taipei-Penghu No. 3 submarine cable was severed. When the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) first attempted to detain the ship on grounds of possible sabotage, its crew said the ship’s name was Hong Tai 168, although the Automatic Identification System (AIS)
An Akizuki-class destroyer last month made the first-ever solo transit of a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ship through the Taiwan Strait, Japanese government officials with knowledge of the matter said yesterday. The JS Akizuki carried out a north-to-south transit through the Taiwan Strait on Feb. 5 as it sailed to the South China Sea to participate in a joint exercise with US, Australian and Philippine forces that day. The Japanese destroyer JS Sazanami in September last year made the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s first-ever transit through the Taiwan Strait, but it was joined by vessels from New Zealand and Australia,
SECURITY: The purpose for giving Hong Kong and Macau residents more lenient paths to permanent residency no longer applies due to China’s policies, a source said The government is considering removing an optional path to citizenship for residents from Hong Kong and Macau, and lengthening the terms for permanent residence eligibility, a source said yesterday. In a bid to prevent the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from infiltrating Taiwan through immigration from Hong Kong and Macau, the government could amend immigration laws for residents of the territories who currently receive preferential treatment, an official familiar with the matter speaking on condition of anonymity said. The move was part of “national security-related legislative reform,” they added. Under the amendments, arrivals from the Chinese territories would have to reside in Taiwan for
CRITICAL MOVE: TSMC’s plan to invest another US$100 billion in US chipmaking would boost Taiwan’s competitive edge in the global market, the premier said The government would ensure that the most advanced chipmaking technology stays in Taiwan while assisting Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) in investing overseas, the Presidential Office said yesterday. The statement follows a joint announcement by the world’s largest contract chipmaker and US President Donald Trump on Monday that TSMC would invest an additional US$100 billion over the next four years to expand its semiconductor manufacturing operations in the US, which would include construction of three new chip fabrication plants, two advanced packaging facilities, and a research and development center. The government knew about the deal in advance and would assist, Presidential
RSS