Academics yesterday criticized a proposed amendment to the Regulations Governing the Approval and Administration of Direct Cross-Strait Sea Transport between the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區海運直航許可管理辦法), saying that President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration is threatening national security by allowing “all kinds of Chinese ships to navigate freely in the waters around Taiwan.”
The Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) states that no Chinese vessels may enter restricted or prohibited waters in Taiwan’s territory unless permitted by the relevant authorities.
The term “restricted waters” refers to the territorial waters 12 nautical miles (22km) from the coast, whereas the “prohibited waters” refer to the adjacent areas 24 nautical miles from the nation’s coast.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is mulling amending the regulations governing the administration of direct cross-strait sea transport by allowing Chinese vessels to navigate the sea around the nation as long as they file an application 24 hours in advance.
National Taiwan University law professor Chiang Huang-chih (姜皇池), who specializes maritime law, said that the regulations only allow cross-strait shipping service operators to enter the nation’s seaports, but the amendment would allow Chinese vessels to navigate through the nation’s restricted and prohibited waters without specifying the type of vessel.
He said that the amendment therefore leaves the door wide open for all Chinese vessels.
“The amendment would render the Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area useless,” he said.
“Any Chinese warship and law enforcement vessel can display Chinese flags and move freely in our waters, posing a threat to national security considering that China has not foregone its intention to annex Taiwan,” he added.
Former Taiwan Solidarity Union Party legislator Hsu Chun-hsin (許忠信), who is now a law professor in National Cheng Kung University, said China has territorial conflicts with Japan, Vietnam and the Philippines, and that Taiwan would become involved in these conflicts if it permits Chinese warships to navigate its waters.
In response, the ministry said that any ship registered abroad can be given “innocent passage” through the nation’s waters, and it is unreasonable to impose specific restrictions on Chinese ships.
The amendment only applies to ships regulated by the ministry, it said.
Warships are regulated exclusively by the Ministry of National Defense, it added.
However, Chiang questioned the necessity of such an amendment.
“The regulations have been enforced for decades without inducing any protest from China. Why do we need to change them?” he said. “It is also suspicious why the amendment did not define what is meant by ‘vessels.’”
“It is relatively easier to regulate the cross-strait direct-shipping service now because all vessels need to secure approval first and be inspected regularly, their number is limited.” Chiang said. “The amendment would only increase the burden and pressure on the administrative authority, given the 24-hour review rule and variety of the ships allowed.”
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
Lawmakers from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday established a friendship group with their counterparts in Ukraine to promote parliamentary exchanges between the two countries. A ceremony in Taipei for the Taiwan-Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Association, initiated by DPP Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷), was attended by lawmakers and officials, including Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) and European Economic and Trade Office in Taiwan Director Lutz Gullner. The increasingly dire situation in Ukraine is a global concern, and Taiwan cannot turn its back when the latter is in need of help, as the two countries share many common values and interests,