A local biologist yesterday urged the government to strengthen its management of the Spratly Islands to assert its sovereignty claim over the disputed archipelago in the South China Sea.
Jeng Ming-shiou (鄭明修), a research fellow at the Academia Sinica's Research Center for Biodiversity, said that Taiwan, which currently occupies Taiping Island (
Unlike Taiwan, Malaysia has turned Swallow Reef -- that it occupies -- into a tourist attraction by developing a holiday resort, desalination plant and wind-power plant there, Jeng said.
With the large number of beautiful marine creatures and coral reefs around the Spratlys, the government should value the tourist potential of Taiping Island and conduct a comprehensive environmental impact assessment before going ahead with its plan to build an airport on the island so as not to damage its plants and marine resources, he said.
Vice Minister of National Defense Huo Shou-yeh (霍守業) confirmed on Thursday that the government will build an airport on Taiping Island but emphasized that the airport is not intended for military use but for humanitarian purposes, such as emergency rescue efforts by the Coast Guard for sick or injured sailors or fishermen.
The Spratly Islands, which consist of more than 100 small islands or reefs surrounded by rich fishing grounds and oil deposits, are claimed either entirely or partially by Taiwan, China, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines.
The claimants have stationed small numbers of military personnel on some of the islands.
Jeng said that the government and people of Taiwan have not paid enough attention to the country's maritime sovereignty and the importance of the sustainable development of maritime resources.
For example, Jeng said, the Spratly Islands and Pratas Islands are home to some of the world's most precious and biodiverse coral reefs, but they are very often left out of the government's policy-making process.
He suggested that the government step up its marine-life survey in the South China Sea and establish a ministry of maritime affairs to promote cooperation with other countries to conserve the maritime resources of the Spratly Islands.
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
Weather conditions across Taiwan are expected to remain stable today, but cloudy to rainy skies are expected from tomorrow onward due to increasing moisture in the atmosphere, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). Daytime highs today are expected to hit 25-27°C in western Taiwan and 22-24°C in the eastern counties of Yilan, Hualien, and Taitung, data on the CWA website indicated. After sunset, temperatures could drop to 16-17°C in most parts of Taiwan. For tomorrow, precipitation is likely in northern Taiwan as a cloud system moves in from China. Daytime temperatures are expected to hover around 25°C, the CWA said. Starting Monday, areas
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
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