The ROC plays the roles of peacemaker and provider of humanitarian relief in the South China Sea, and the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) manages Taiping Island (also known as Itu Aba) adhering to the guidelines of ecological preservation, peace promotion and low-carbon environment, CGA Minister Wang Chung-yi stated today.
Recent years have seen unceasing actions by nations making claims on islands in the South China Sea. Wang stated that by upholding the principles of safeguarding ROC sovereignty and shelving disputes, promoting peace and reciprocity, and conducting joint development of resources, the CGA has realized President Ma Ying-jeou's South China Sea Peace Initiative through its management of Taiping Island.
Minister Wang made these remarks while elaborating on issues regarding the CGA and the South China Sea on the Executive Yuan's "Open Mic" YouTube live webcast, hosted by Executive Yuan Spokesperson Sun Lih-chyun.
During the webcast, a netizen said that the Philippines submitted South China Sea islands sovereignty disputes to an international tribunal for arbitration without seeking the ROC's views. This demonstrated that the ROC's position on the issue was not taken seriously by the international community, said the netizen, who asked how the government will respond to the situation. Wang responded that since the Philippines did not invite the ROC to participate in the international tribunal arbitration, nor has the arbitration court sought the ROC's views, the ROC government will neither recognize nor accept the court's rulings on the matter.
Wang was also asked about the government's position on a recent passage near mainland China's artificial islands in the South China Sea by a U.S. Navy warship, which drew the ire of mainland Chinese authorities. Wang stated that based on the spirit of the Charter of the United Nations and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), international vessels may make "innocent passages" through the waters near Taiping Island. Though ROC sovereignty cannot be compromised, resources can be shared. Based on the national policy of promoting peace and mitigating conflicts in managing Taiping Island, the ROC will not engage in any activity that might trigger international tensions, Wang said.
Regarding netizens' inquiry about whether Taiping Island is an island or reef, Wang said Taiping Island has a surface area of 0.5 square kilometers. In addition, it has four wells with 92.7 percent drinkable fresh water. The island also contains naturally grown coconut, papaya and banana trees. All these conditions meet the UNCLOS' definition of an island, he affirmed.
As for mainland Chinese fishermen's intrusions into Taiwan's territorial waters, Wang stated that since he became minister in 2014, he has enforced strong punitive measures encompassing monetary fines, detentions, and confiscations of fishing boats. During his tenure, the CGA has confiscated four Chinese fishing boats worth hundreds of millions of NT dollars in total. He also raised relevant fines to between NT$300,000 (US$9,146) and NT$10 million (US$304,878). These measures have had a deterrent effect on the Chinese mainland's fishermen, Wang said.
In response to Sun's question concerning the difference between the ROC navy and the CGA, Wang explained that the navy is a national defense force, while the CGA primarily focuses on protecting ROC fishermen and conducting sea rescue and relief. Nevertheless, when the CGA is executing its task of protecting ROC fishermen, the navy will also be on standby in waters nearby. Thus, it can be said that the CGA protects the fishermen while the navy backs up the CGA. The two agencies collaborate with and complement each other.
The webcast, which ran from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., can be viewed in its entirety on the Executive Yuan's YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2O77tBH_Rk.