14 Jul Taiwan, Defiant on Tribunal’s Ruling of Choosing Philippines over China
On Wednesday, July 13, Taiwan, which claimed to be the Republic of China (ROC) defiant to the ruling of an arbitral tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, of choosing to accept the appeal of the Philippines over China on the long-standing maritime dispute in the West Philippine Sea.
“The award rendered by the tribunal at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the South China Sea arbitration is completely unacceptable to the government of the Republic of China,” Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan said.
He added, “This inappropriate designation is demeaning to the status of the ROC as a sovereign state… no legally binding force on the ROC.”
China did not recognize Taiwan as the sovereign state, rather a deserter state. Likewise, Taiwan did not take the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the sovereign state.
Taiwan said, “However, the tribunal took it upon itself to expand its authority, declaring ROC-governed Taiping Island, and other features in the Nansha (Spratly) Islands occupied by Vietnam, the Philippines, and Malaysia, all to be rocks that ‘do not generate an exclusive economic zone.”
It added, “This decision severely jeopardizes the legal status of the South China Sea Islands, over which the ROC exercises sovereignty and their relevant maritime rights.”
Taiwan said that they were not invited to join the arbitration proceedings, “Therefore, the award has no legally binding force on the ROC.”
Taiwan requested to have multilateral negotiations about the matter.
According to them, “The ROC government reiterates that the South China Sea Islands are part of the territory of the ROC and that it will take resolute action to safeguard the country’s territory and relevant maritime rights.”
Taiwan immediately sent a warship in the South China Sea after the ruling.
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