《TAIPEI TIMES》 Taipei reiterates position on South China Sea issue

By Huang Ching-hsuan / Staff reporter The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday reiterated the Re...…

The name and logo of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are pictured at the ministry in Taipei in an undated photograph. Photo: CNA

By Huang Ching-hsuan / Staff reporter

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday reiterated the Republic of China’s （ROC） “Four Principles” regarding South China Sea issues, urged all parties to strictly abide by international laws, and opposed unilateral expansionism and actions that undermine peace in the region.

As the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s ruling that invalidated China’s claims in the South China Sea marked its 10th anniversary yesterday, several Chinese academics recently said that as the Philippines’ Batanes Islands were once under the jurisdiction of Taiwan, it therefore belonged to China.

“ROC Taiwan’s sovereignty claims and related policies regarding the South China Sea islands have not changed,” and it “upholds the ‘Four Principles’ regarding the South China Sea issue,” the ministry said in a statement yesterday.

The first principle states that disputes in the South China Sea should be settled peacefully, in accordance with international law and the law of the sea, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Second, Taiwan should be included in multilateral mechanisms aimed at resolving disputes.

Third, the states concerned have an obligation to uphold the freedom of navigation and overflight in the region.