Tag Archives: Taiwan

South China sea’s vague 9-dash line underpins China’s claim

Although China’s claim to the area of about 3.5 million square kilometers (1.4 million square miles) is based on historical records and geographic proximity, the nine-dash line is a modern creation. It first appeared on 1947 maps produced by the government of the Republic of China, which was replaced by the communist People’s Republic on […]

Nurse first to register as Taiping Island resident

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A female nurse has become the first citizen to register as an official resident of Taiping Island in a disputed part of the South China Sea, reports said Saturday. The island, also known as Itu Aba, saw its international profile rise significantly when President Ma Ying-jeou visited it last Thursday, to […]

Taiwan’s Itu Aba Claim In South China Sea Pains U.S., Philippines, And Opposing Taiwanese

Taiwan’s president, Ma Ying-jeou, asserted his country’s claim on Taiping, or Itu Aba, in the South China Sea or West Philippine Sea, by taking a day trip to the mostly barren rock formation on January 28, 2016. United States and Philippine officials were quick to issue disapproving statements regarding Ma’s first visit to Itu Aba […]

World View: Taiwan May Reverse South China Sea Policy and Oppose China

There is one and only one country in the entire world that agrees with and supports all of China’s legal claims in the South China Sea. That country is Taiwan, though China says that Taiwan is not a country, but only a rogue province of China that will return to Chinese control as soon as […]

Taiwan Officials Make Low-Profile Visit to Disputed South China Sea

TAIPEI, TAIWAN— Two Taiwan government officials visited an islet in the heavily disputed South China Sea on Saturday to kick off operations at a lighthouse. The trip is likely to irritate rival maritime claimants China and Vietnam but not touch off a major dispute. Taiwan’s ministers of the interior and coast guard head flew to […]

Be Careful What You Wish For: The Risks of Taiwan Shifting Its South China Sea Policy Against China

Of all the countries on Earth, only Taiwan agrees with and supports all of China’s legal claims in the South China Sea. And Taiwan isn’t even considered to be a country by China, the U.S., and most other nations. But China’s government appears to view the South China Sea as an opportunity for cooperation between […]

Taiwan, Philippines to cooperate in fisheries law enforcement

Taipei, Nov. 19 (CNA) Taiwan and the Philippines have concluded a fisheries agreement, which will take effect immediately after an official announcement has been made, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release Thursday. The Agreement Concerning the Facilitation of Cooperation on Law Enforcement in Fisheries Matters, concluded Nov. 5, contains seven articles […]

Fisheries pact to avert sea disputes

THE Philippines and Taiwan have signed a fisheries agreement that is envisioned to prevent a repeat of the 2013 Balintang Channel incident where a Taiwanese fisherman was fatally shot by a Philippine Coast Guard patrol. Taiwan, China and the Philippines have overlapping claims to the channel, which is both within the 200 nautical mile exclusive […]

Taiwan Candidate Calls for Talks on South China Sea

The leading candidate in Taiwan’s presidential election says she will arrange talks with the countries disputing South China Sea issues. Recently, Taiwan presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen spoke with a group of foreign diplomats. She said that if she is elected, she will pursue dialogue with Brunei, China, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines. Each of the […]

China building two aircraft carriers: Taiwan defense ministry report

TAIPEI – China is building two aircraft carriers that will be the same size as its sole carrier, a 60,000-tonne refurbished Soviet-era ship, according to a new Taiwanese Defense Ministry report on the capabilities of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Little is known about China’s aircraft carrier program, which is a state secret, although Chinese […]