Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/08/07
By: Ku Chuan and Y.F. Low

Taipei, Aug. 7 (CNA) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday reiterated that

CNA file photo

islands in the South China Sea are part of Republic of China (Taiwan) territory and that the country should not be excluded from talks on a dispute resolution mechanism in the region.

It is beyond doubt that the ROC enjoys rights to these islands and their surrounding waters based on international and maritime law, the ministry said in a statement, a day after foreign ministers of Southeast Asian countries and China adopted a negotiating framework for a code of conduct in the disputed South China Sea.

Taiwan was not invited to the ASEAN ministerial meeting in Manila where the framework was developed, and it fears being left out of any negotiations on the issue because of China’s relentless effort to suppress it internationally.  [FULL  STORY]