The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has called recent claims made by the Philippines and Vietnam to an extended continental shelf in the South China Sea “unacceptable.”
“The actions by the Philippines and Vietnam have infringed upon our country’s sovereignty and rights under international laws and maritime laws in the South China Sea,” the ministry said in a news release.
The statement came two days after Vietnam filed a submission with the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) to seek formal validation of the outer boundaries of its legal continental shelf beyond the current 200 nautical mile (370km) limit, a month after the Philippines made a similar move.
Photo: Yang Cheng-yu, Taipei Times
The ministry said the claims were “unacceptable” and reiterated Taiwan’s sovereign rights to its islands in the South China Sea.
However, the ministry also said that Taiwan was willing to address issues related to the South China Sea with the international community “on the basis of equal consultation.”
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on July 19, 2016, proposed “four principles” and “five actions” on issues in the South China Sea, which include principles such as “disputes should be resolved by setting aside differences and promoting joint development,” which shows that Taiwan is willing to have equal consultation with the international community to address the issues and jointly maintain regional peace and stability, it said.
Many countries have contested territorial claims in the South China Sea, including, Taiwan, China, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia.
On June 17, Beijing denounced the Philippines’ June 15 submission to the CLCS to extend its continental shelf, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China saying that Manila’s claims had infringed upon China’s sovereign rights.
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