The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday reaffirmed the government’s sovereignty over several island groups in the South China Sea following bids by Malaysia and Vietnam to extend the outer limits of their continental shelves to include the disputed areas.
In a statement, the ministry said the Republic of China (ROC) had “unquestionable” sovereignty over the Spratly Islands, the Paracel Islands, the Macclesfield Bank, the Pratas Islands and surrounding waters based on historical and geographical considerations as well as international law.
‘ALL DUE RIGHTS’
“The ROC is entitled to all due rights in these four island groups and their waters, seabed and subsoil. The ROC government does not recognize any claims over or occupation of the islands by any country for any reason,” the statement said.
The ministry called on Malaysia and Vietnam to seek a peaceful resolution to the dispute through negotiations and dialogue in accordance with the UN Charter, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea signed between the People’s Republic of China and ASEAN in 2002.
The disputed island chains and the surrounding waters are claimed either entirely or in part by Taiwan, China, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines.
JOINT APPLICATION
On Wednesday, Malaysia and Vietnam jointly submitted an application to the UN to have their continental margins widened beyond 200 nautical miles (370km), an extension that would include part of the region in dispute.
Vietnam filed a second, separate application the next day.
The moves came one week before the May 13 deadline set by the UN for countries to submit claims for extending their continental shelves.
The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea allows countries to seek to extend their right to exploit natural resources from 200 nautical miles to 350 nautical miles off their coasts if they can show that their terrestrial land naturally extends beyond that boundary.
BEIJING
Also asserting its sovereignty over the region, China’s Foreign Ministry on Friday described the claims by Malaysia and Vietnam as “illegal” and “invalid” and urged the UN not to review their submissions.
Beijing was referring to regulations of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf stating that “in cases where a land or maritime dispute exists, the commission shall not consider and qualify a submission made by any of the states concerned in the dispute.”
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
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
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS