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South China Sea ruling won't be binding on Taiwan: Premier Lin

ROC Central News Agency

2016/07/12 16:57:19

Taipei, July 12 (CNA) Premier Lin Chuan (林全) said Tuesday that a pending international court ruling on a case brought by the Philippines against China over their disputes in the South China Sea will not be legally binding on Taiwan.

Responding to reporters' questions on the sidelines of a publishers' award ceremony, Lin said Taiwan stands firm on its sovereignty claim to islands in the South China Sea, including Taiping.

Lin's remarks came just hours before the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hauge in the Netherlands was scheduled to give a ruling on the case in which the Philippines has argued that the land formations claimed by Beijing in the South China Sea are not islands and therefore not entitled to 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zones.

"That (the ruling) will be not legally binding on us, and our stance will remain unchanged," Lin said in response to reporters' questions on whether the ruling would undercut Taiwan's claims in the South China Sea.

The Philippines' argument that the land formations China claims are nothing more than reefs and therefore not entitled to 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zones, challenges Beijing's insistence that it has sovereignty over the South China Sea area.

Since the case was filed in 2013, China has said repeatedly that it does not recognize the tribunal's jurisdiction over the matter.

Although Taiwan is not 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 Island lies about 1,600 kilometers southwest of Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan.

(By Sabine Cheng and Elaine Hou)
ENDITEM/pc