The Executive Yuan stated unequivocally today that the ROC government is determined to safeguard its sovereignty and marine rights over the four archipelagos in the South China Sea—namely the Nansha (Spratly), Dongsha (Pratas), Shisha (Paracel) and Zhongsha (Macclesfield Bank) Islands.
This statement was made in response to public concerns about the Philippines seeking The Hague's international tribunal arbitration on the South China Sea islands and whether this move would affect the ROC's status on Taiping Island (also known as Itu Aba) or the ROC government's determination to safeguard national sovereignty. The government will closely monitor the case's development and adopt necessary response measures to highlight the nation's sovereignty.
The Executive Yuan stated that according to Article 121, Paragraph 1 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), "An island is a naturally formed area of land, surrounded by water, which is above water at high tide." Such rocks that can sustain human habitation or economic life of their own shall have their exclusive economic zone or continental shelf, the law states. The ROC's Taiping Island is the largest naturally formed island in the Spratly Islands that can sustain human habitation and economic life, meets UNCLOS' Article 121 definition of an island, and therefore can have an exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.
The Executive Yuan further pointed out that in this case the Philippines and mainland China are the plaintiff and defendant, respectively. The Philippines submitted the case for international tribunal arbitration based on the Institution of Procedures in the UNCLOS' Annex VII. Since mainland China is the defendant and the ROC is not a party in the case, the ROC has no obligation to participate in the arbitration. Moreover, as the Philippines has never invited the ROC to participate in the arbitration, nor has the international tribunal sought the views of the ROC, therefore the ROC is not involved in any way. Thus, the ROC government does not accept nor recognize any of the arbitration rulings.
The Executive Yuan stated that the pier on Taiping Island is expected to be completed by the end of December this year for verification along with a completed lighthouse. These efforts will help realize President Ma's South China Sea Peace Initiative, which advocates ROC sovereignty and setting aside disputes in favor of joint development of marine resources based on peace and reciprocity.
The Executive Yuan stated that in order to highlight the government's humanitarian and peaceful means for the island, the government has been setting up a solar-energy system, improving airport navigation facilities to enhance disaster-relief capabilities, and making Taiping a peaceful, ecological and low-carbon island.
The government has organized national workshops on the Nansha Islands for numerous years, totaling 12 batches with 215 students and teachers from 21 universities, including National Taiwan Ocean University. The government plans to organize more workshops and is cautiously contriving to allow citizens to visit the island for tourism.