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China's ADIZ not connected to sovereignty: president

ROC Central News Agency

2013/11/26 22:04:09

Taipei, Nov. 26 (CNA) President Ma Ying-jeou said Tuesday that China's establishment of an air defense identification zone (ADIZ) over an area of the East China Sea does not involve air space or territorial sovereignty, but he added that Taiwan will express its serious concerns to China and other parties.

The ADIZ China has drawn up has a small overlap with Taiwan's own identification zone but will have no impact on the ability of Taiwan's armed forces to conduct exercises, he said.

Taiwan's serious concerns, to be conveyed to China and other countries, will be based on his East China Sea peace initiative, he went on. The principles outlined in the initiative include the shelving of territorial disputes, self-restraint from all parties concerned and peaceful resolution of differences.

Ma made the comments at a meeting of the ruling Kuomintang (KMT), according to sources who attended the meeting. The president doubles as chairman of the ruling party.

It is the first time Ma has commented on the ADIZ move by the Chinese, which is generally viewed as upping the ante in its confrontation with Japan over the disputed Diaoyutai Islands, over which Taiwan also claims sovereignty.

Yang Wei-chung, a KMT spokesman, added that Taiwan should adopt a practical and steady approach when handling international issues in order to ensure that the country's best interests are served.

The comments came after Su Tseng-chang, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Progressive Party, urged Ma to 'toughen up' when facing China.

The government should defend Taiwan's sovereignty and security in an appropriate and effective way instead of making matters worse by spouting empty slogans or taking reckless actions, Yang said.

On Nov. 23, after the Chinese government released a map showing its newly designated ADIZ, the National Security Council issued a statement reaffirming Taiwan's sovereignty over the islands and asking all sides to prevent a rise in tensions in the region.

(By Lee Shu-hua and Jay Chen)
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