The ROC is making Taiping Island a base for ecological conservation and humanitarian work, Executive Yuan Spokesperson Sun Lih-chyun said today at a tea reception for foreign media.
In line with President Ma Ying-jeou's South China Sea Peace Initiative, the ROC will make Taiping Island (also known as Itu Aba) in the Nansha archipelago a low-carbon island for conducting humanitarian relief, said Coast Guard Administration (CGA) Minister Wang Chung-yi, who was also at the reception. In addition to demonstrating the government's firm commitment to protecting marine resources and conserving the surrounding ecology, the move will also safeguard the ROC's sovereignty in the South China Sea and facilitate peace and stability in the area.
Responding to questions about the artificial islands in Nansha built by mainland China and the possibility of the U.S. Navy sending ships or aircraft within 12 nautical miles of those islands to assert freedom of navigation, Wang stated that Taiping and its surrounding waters are an inherent territory of the ROC. The CGA will adhere to its consistent policy to safeguard the ROC's sovereignty in the South China Sea.
Director General Perry Shen of the Department of Treaty and Legal Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) reiterated the significance of the South China Sea Peace Initiative, calling on all countries to respect the spirit and principles of the United Nations Charter and the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea and to peacefully resolve the territorial disputes via negotiation and dialogue.
To make Taiping a low-carbon island, the government has set up a solar energy system that operates along with diesel-powered generators to supply the island's electricity. Taiping Island has always served as an interim base for humanitarian relief, carrying out search and rescue operations, sheltering international vessels from stormy weather, and providing emergency medical relief, Wang elaborated. Since 2010, ROC servicemen on the island have conducted 11 missions and saved 12 lives. When the pier on the island is completed, 100-tonne patrol boats can be stationed and 3,000-tonne patrol vessels can dock there. This will effectively help raise the island's relief capacity, enhancing its role as a peacemaker and provider of humanitarian aid in the South China Sea.
Director Yu Teng-lang of the Marine National Park Headquarters pointed out that the Dongsha Atoll is a stopover for migratory species. The atoll has diverse habitats and abundant ecological resources. The ROC set up the Dongsha Atoll National Park in 2007 to continue its policy of ecological conservation.
Shao Kwang-tsao, principal investigator of the Taiping biodiversity survey project, suggested improving the environmental infrastructure and humanitarian relief functions on the island as well as promoting international academic collaboration and exchanges. As a scholar, Shao called upon all nations involved in the dispute to work together and make the South China Sea an exclusive "marine conservation zone."