• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Lawmaker calls for marines to be stationed on South China Sea islet

ROC Central News Agency

2011/06/12 20:38:49

Taipei, June 12 (CNA) A ruling party legislator has called on the government to redeploy marines on Taiping Island in the South China Sea, where the Taiwan coast guard is now stationed, as claims by neighboring countries have grown louder recently.

Lin Yu-fang of the Kuomintang (KMT) said a stronger military presence on the Republic of China territory will strengthen the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' stance once negotiations begin to settle the dispute over the claims to the area.

The Taiwan coast guard has been stationed on Taiping Island since the country's marines were pulled out in 1999.

Since early this year, the marines have been helping to train members of the coast guard, but Lin said the government should take stronger action to beef up its defense capability.

"You cannot show weakness in diplomatic negotiations," he said.

In response, Ministry of National Defense (MND) spokesman Lo Shao-ho said the question of increasing the military presence on the Spratly Islands islet should be viewed from a national standpoint, rather than from an MND perspective.

Currently, only the coast guard and weathermen are based on Taiping Island. The coast guard members have received training in defending their positions, stopping assaults and making arrests, MND data shows.

China, the Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam all claim sovereignty over parts of the South China Sea or the whole area. Between July 2010 and June 10, 2011, Taiwan had issued five statements reiterating its claims and calling for joint efforts to develop the natural resources in the area.

Lin said sooner or later, talks will begin among all the parties concerned to negotiate a settlement to the dispute. At that time, he said, "military strength" will be needed in order to put good bargaining chips on the table.

Lin Chong-pin, a former deputy defense minister, said that in spite of the increasingly tense situation, China will likely to stick to its "struggle but not go to war" strategy.

China's domestic politics do not allow its leaders to show weakness in foreign policy, but the urgency of the country's economic development, as seen in its 12th five-year plan, will likely restrain Chinese leaders from allowing the situation to get out of control, according to Lin, a professor of strategic studies at Tamkang University.

He forecast that when China begins to tap into the oil and natural gas resources in the South China Sea, it will probably invite neighboring countries to participate in the development process.

Lin Chong-pin said Taiwan should step up scientific research in that area and seek international cooperation to share the natural resources.

However, next year's presidential election and the complex triangular relationship among Taiwan, China and the United States will make it difficult for Taiwan's government to take any initiative in the South China Sea matter, according to the professor. (By Emmannuelle Tseng, Chen Yi-wei and S.C. Chang) enditem /pc