Following the latest confrontation over the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) between Japan and pro-China activists, President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration yesterday chastised Japan, while being reserved in its criticism of the activists.
“[Taiwan] calls on Japan to realize there exists a dispute over the sovereignty of the Diaoyutai Islands and to consider [Taiwan]-initiated proposals on how to handle the issue in a pragmatic and effective way. [Japan] should not be oblivious to the fact of contention,” a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said last night.
The statement was based on the conclusions reached at a meeting presided over by National Security Council Secretary-General Hu wei-jen (胡為真) in response to the latest spat over the islands.
Photo: AFP
On Wednesday, a boat carrying 14 activists from Hong Kong, Macau and China landed on the Diaoyutais. Taiwanese activists did not join the action because they were not able to rent a fishing boat.
Seven of the activists jumped from the boat onto the island and placed Republic of China (ROC) and People’s Republic of China (PRC) flags on the island. All 14 activists were later arrested by the Japan Coast Guard and were still in custody as of press time.
The government said in the statement yesterday that it hoped “all concerned parties” would refrain from provoking confrontational sentiment between their peoples and taking action that could destabilize the region, without specifying who the concerned parties were.
The government reiterated Taiwan’s sovereignty over the islands, saying that acts performed by other parties did not alter that fact.
It added that it would act in the spirit of peace under Ma’s East China Sea peace initiative when dealing with the issue and related disputes over fishing rights in its relations with Japan, and that it would not team up with China in this regard.
Separately yesterday, Ma also reiterated the nation’s sovereignty over the islands.
The government also urged Tokyo to release the 14 activists.
“The arrests were of no help in maintaining stability in the region,” MOFA spokesperson Steve Hsia (夏季昌) said, adding that Taiwan had conveyed its position to the Japanese government on Wednesday night, soon after it learned of the arrests.
The ministry has not yet received a response from Tokyo, Hsia said.
While the government has repeatedly stated that the Diaoyutais belong to Taiwan and that it would not work with China in the dispute over sovereignty of the islands, it appears it had no plan to take action against the activists who landed on the islands on Wednesday without Taiwan’s permission.
Asked for a comment on the action staged by the pro-China activists, Hsia said: “They did not obtain our [Taiwan government] permission to go to the islands.”
Further pressed as to whether Taiwan condemned the pro-China activists, Hsia repeatedly said: “We will see how to deal with it properly,” before he eventually said: “We disapprove of the action.”
When asked for comment on the activists carrying both the ROC and PRC flags, Hsia said that was a matter of “freedom of expression.”
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chao Tien-lin (趙天麟) yesterday criticized the Ma administration over its reaction to the incident, saying it has put itself in a “double embarrassment” situation.
“President Ma Ying-jeou repeatedly stated that the Diaoyutais are ROC territory, but this incident shows Japan is in actual control of the islands. It’s embarrassing for the government,” Chao said.
“And, when the government claims that the Diaoyutais are ROC territory, it’s not doing anything when people from Hong Kong, Macao and China landed on the island without permission,” he added.
He called on the Ma government to urge both Japan and Diaoyutai activists from Hong Kong, Macao and China to respect the ROC’s sovereignty over the islands.
“The Diaoyutai activists have illegally entered into ROC territory, so the National Immigration Agency (NIA) should do something about it,” Taiwan Solidarity Union Legislator Huang Wen-ling (黃文玲) said.
She added that she did not expect the government to do anything because Ma seems to turn “soft” whenever it comes to dealing with China.
Asked to comment on the criticism, NIA Deputy Director-General Chang Chi (張琪) said it was a complicated issue.
“Certainly, the Diaoyutais are our territory, but it is disputed, with Taiwan, China and Japan all making the territorial claim,” Chang said.
“It’s not an issue that can be dealt with using our domestic laws,” he added.
Mainland Affairs Council Deputy Minister Chang Hsien-yao (張顯耀), meanwhile, did not directly answer the question as to whether the activists had illegally entered ROC territory.
“[The question] does not exist, because they [the activists] are in Japanese custody, not ours,” he said.
“Our official stance is that the Diaoyutais are ROC territory, there’s no doubt about it, and the MOFA stressed that stance today in its latest communication with Japan,” Chang added.
Additional reporting by Mo Yan-chih
INVESTIGATION: The case is the latest instance of a DPP figure being implicated in an espionage network accused of allegedly leaking information to Chinese intelligence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) member Ho Jen-chieh (何仁傑) was detained and held incommunicado yesterday on suspicion of spying for China during his tenure as assistant to then-minister of foreign affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮). The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said Ho was implicated during its investigation into alleged spying activities by former Presidential Office consultant Wu Shang-yu (吳尚雨). Prosecutors said there is reason to believe Ho breached the National Security Act (國家安全法) by leaking classified Ministry of Foreign Affairs information to Chinese intelligence. Following interrogation, prosecutors petitioned the Taipei District Court to detain Ho, citing concerns over potential collusion or tampering of evidence. The
‘FORM OF PROTEST’: The German Institute Taipei said it was ‘shocked’ to see Nazi symbolism used in connection with political aims as it condemned the incident Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), who led efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), was released on bail of NT$80,000 yesterday amid an outcry over a Nazi armband he wore to questioning the night before. Sung arrived at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning in a recall petition forgery case on Tuesday night wearing a red armband bearing a swastika, carrying a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and giving a Nazi salute. Sung left the building at 1:15am without the armband and apparently covering the book with a coat. This is a serious international scandal and Chinese
Seventy percent of middle and elementary schools now conduct English classes entirely in English, the Ministry of Education said, as it encourages schools nationwide to adopt this practice Minister of Education (MOE) Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) is scheduled to present a report on the government’s bilingual education policy to the Legislative Yuan’s Education and Culture Committee today. The report would outline strategies aimed at expanding access to education, reducing regional disparities and improving talent cultivation. Implementation of bilingual education policies has varied across local governments, occasionally drawing public criticism. For example, some schools have required teachers of non-English subjects to pass English proficiency
TRADE: The premier pledged safeguards on ‘Made in Taiwan’ labeling, anti-dumping measures and stricter export controls to strengthen its position in trade talks Products labeled “made in Taiwan” must be genuinely made in Taiwan, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday, vowing to enforce strict safeguards against “origin laundering” and initiate anti-dumping investigations to prevent China dumping its products in Taiwan. Cho made the remarks in a discussion session with representatives from industries in Kaohsiung. In response to the US government’s recent announcement of “reciprocal” tariffs on its trading partners, President William Lai (賴清德) and Cho last week began a series of consultations with industry leaders nationwide to gather feedback and address concerns. Taiwanese and US officials held a videoconference on Friday evening to discuss the
RSS