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Taiwan hopes to join South China Sea dialogue: MOFA

ROC Central News Agency

2013/06/06 19:11:19

Taipei, June 6 (CNA) Taiwan looks forward to taking part in a South China Sea-related dialogue and mechanism, and working with other countries in the area to maintain regional peace and stability, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Thursday.

The ministry was responding to remarks made a day earlier by Joseph Yun, the U.S. acting assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, in which he said the recent diplomatic rift between Taiwan and the Philippines over a fatal shooting has highlighted the importance of formulating a code of conduct for disputes over the South China Sea.

Yun was referring to the shooting death of a Taiwanese fisherman by a Philippine coast guard patrol vessel in the overlapping waters of the two countries' exclusive economic zones May 9. The killing has put the two countries at loggerheads.

Noting that China and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are expected to begin negotiations on a code of conduct for disputes over the South China Sea, Yun said he sees no reason that other related parties should be exempted from observation of the code of conduct.

Yun made the remarks at a South China Sea conference sponsored by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank.

Responding to Yun's statements, MOFA spokeswoman Anna Kao said all island chains in the South China Sea are the Republic of China's sovereign territory, as are the waters surrounding them.

The ROC is nevertheless willing to shelve disputes and cooperate with neighboring countries in exploring resources in the region, in line with the principles of reciprocity and peaceful solutions to disputes, she said.

'We also hope that the ROC will be invited to participate in dialogue and mechanism related with South China Sea issues,' Kao said, adding that Taiwan is more than willing to collaborate with neighboring countries in pursuing regional peace and stability.

On Taiwan-U.S. relations, Kao said the government has been promoting bilateral engagement in a low-key and surprise-free approach since President Ma Ying-jeou assumed office in 2008.

Over the past few years, she said, Taiwan-U.S. dialogue and interaction have been growing smoothly without any glitches.

(By Rogge Chen and Sofia Wu)
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