Government rebuts ex-president's claim about Tiaoyutais
ROC Central News Agency
2011/01/11 22:17:07
Taipei, Jan. 11 (CNA) The Presidential Office rebutted Tuesday a claim by former President Lee Teng-hui that the disputed Tiaoyutai Islands are Japanese territory.
Lee's claim not only contravenes historical fact but also hurts the country's sovereignty, "and is thus unacceptable, " said Lo Chih-chiang, a spokesman for the Presidential Office.
Ninety-year-old Lee reportedly told Japan's Bungeishunju magazine that "no matter how many times I have to say it, the islet chain is simply Japan's territory."
Lo said the government regrets that Lee, who was president for 12 years from 1988 to 2000, made false statements regarding the sovereignty of the islets, damaging national interests.
Suspecting that the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) will follow Lee's position, Lo said DPP Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen should defend the nation's sovereignty by clearly stating that the Tiaoyutais are an integral part of the Republic of China.
The government has repeatedly stated that the uninhabited islets are ROC territory and have since ancient times been part of Taiwan, Lo said.
According to Lo, the Chinese discovered the islets in 1403 during the Ming dynasty and named them the Tiaoyutais. Since then, they have been used by the Chinese and integrated into the national defense system, all of which facts, he said, are well documented.
He said Japan annexed the islets in January 1895, thinking they were uninhabited. At the end of World War II in 1945, when Japan surrendered, the Tiaoyutais automatically became ROC territory again.
The islets, which lie about 100 nautical miles off Taiwan's northeastern tip, are claimed by Japan, China and Taiwan, although they are administered by Japan. (By Garfie Li and S.C. Chang) ENDITEM/J
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