Taiwan has rejected renewed sovereignty claims over the South China Sea by the Philippines and China by reaffirming its sovereignty and rights under international law over the disputed area.
“The Republic of China [ROC] enjoys all rights to island groups and their surrounding waters in the South China Sea in accordance with international law and maritime laws,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said in a statement yesterday.
Other countries’ attempts to claim sovereignty over the South China Sea do not change the fact that the ROC holds sovereignty over the region, the ministry said.
Photo: EPA-EFE
The MOFA statement came after Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr signed two laws on Friday last week to define his country’s maritime entitlements and set designated sea lanes and air routes to reinforce sovereignty over parts of the South China Sea.
China quickly responded on Sunday by publishing baselines for a contested shoal in the South China Sea it seized from the Philippines and reiterating the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) claim over nearly all of the South China Sea.
Beijing claims areas also claimed by Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam.
“China will continue to take all necessary measures in accordance with the law to resolutely defend China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests,” the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
China and the Philippines claim Scarborough Shoal (Huangyan Island, 黃岩島) and other outcroppings in the South China Sea.
China seized the shoal, which lies west of the main Philippine island of Luzon, in 2012 and has since restricted Filipino fishers’ access.
A 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration found that most Chinese claims in the South China Sea were invalid, but Beijing has refused to abide by it.
Ships from China and the Philippines have collided several times as part of escalating confrontations between the two governments in the past few months, including the China Coast Guard blasting Philippine vessels with water cannons.
MOFA’s statement described the recent actions by China and the Philippines as “escalating regional tensions and potentially jeopardizing regional peace and stability.”
It reiterated Taiwan’s desire to resolve territorial disputes through multilateral dialogue and dispute settlement mechanisms, and said that the nation should be included in such mechanisms on an equal footing.
Taiwan controls two islands in the South China Sea.
One of them is Itu Aba (Taiping Island, 太平島), which is the largest among the Spratly Islands (Nansha Islands, 南沙群島) and lies 1,600km southwest of Kaohsiung. It is administered as part of Kaohsiung’s Cijin District (旗津).
The other is Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙群島), which lies 450km southwest of Kaohsiung.
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