U.S. takes no side on status of Taiping Island: Taiwan official
ROC Central News Agency
2016/07/12 15:48:19
Taipei, July 12 (CNA) Ahead of an international court decision on the South China Sea that could weaken Taiwan's claims to Taiping Island, Taiwan said Tuesday that it has continued to exchange views on related issues with the United States.
The Philippines has brought a case against China in the Permanent Court of Arbitration arguing that the land formations claimed by Beijing in the South China Sea are not islands and not entitled to 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zones.
As part of the court proceedings, Manila claimed that Taiping is not an island.
Christine Hsueh (薛美瑜), director-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Department of North American Affairs, said at a regular briefing that Taiwan has continued to exchange views on South China Sea issues with the U.S. ahead of the ruling.
Washington, she said, clearly hopes that all claimants address disputes in accordance with international law and work to ensure freedom of navigation and overflight in the region.
Asked about Washington's stance on Taiping Island specifically, Hsueh said the U.S. takes no side on territorial issues and therefore takes no position on whether Taiping is an island or not.
Her remarks came just hours before the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in the Netherlands is scheduled to issue its verdict on the Philippines' case against China.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Eleanor Wang (王珮玲) on Tuesday reiterated Taiwan's stance that all related parties in the South China Sea must base their claims on international law and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Taiwan expects all claimants to resolve their disputes through peaceful means, and believes that all related parties have the obligation to respect the freedom of navigation and overflight in the region, she said.
Wang said the government will issue a statement in response to the ruling by the international court after the verdict is issued.
In Washington, U.S. Department of State spokesman John Kirby said during a press briefing Monday that however the tribunal rules, the U.S. urges all claimants to show restraint, to show respect for the rule of law, and to not allow for increased tensions and increased instability in the South China Sea area.
In responding to questions on the South China Sea ruling, he reiterated that U.S. wants all claimants to resolve disputes peacefully.
"We don't take a position on claims. We do take a position on coercion; we want these things resolved in accordance with rule of law," he said.
Manila argues that the land formations China claims in the South China Sea are nothing more than reefs and therefore not entitled to 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zones, which challenges Beijing's insistence that it has sovereignty over the waters.
China has repeatedly rejected the tribunal's jurisdiction over the case since it was filed in 2013.
Although Taiwan is not a party to the case, its claims in the South China Sea are similar to those of China, and Taiping Island (also known as Itu Aba), which is controlled by Taiwan, was brought up in testimony during the court hearings.
Should the court rule that Taiping Island is not an island under international law, it could also undercut some of Taiwan's claims.
Six countries -- Taiwan, China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei -- claim part or all of the islands in the resource-rich South China Sea and their surrounding waters.
The 0.51-square-kilometer Taiping lies about 1,600 kilometers southwest of Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan.
(By Tang Pei-chun and Elaine Hou)
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