Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/05/19
By: Hsieh Chia-chen, Huang Tzi-chiang and Evelyn Kao
Taipei, May 19 (CNA) Taiwan looks forward to participating in dialogue and 
mechanisms related to South China Sea issues and working with other countries in the area to settle disputes through peaceful means to maintain regional peace and stability and promote regional development, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Tuesday.
The ministry was responding to a media report that a scholar from the Brookings Institution, a Washington-based think tank, said Taiwan’s participation in negotiations aimed at resolving territorial disputes in the South China Sea will be beneficial for the parties concerned.
The Republic of China has unquestionable sovereignty over the Dongsha, Nansha, Xisha and Zhongsha islands in the South China Sea and their surrounding waters, from the perspective of history, geography and international law, said MOFA spokeswoman Anna Kao (高安).
The government is willing to cooperate with neighboring countries in exploring resources in the region, in line with the principles of “safeguarding sovereignty, shelving disputes, pursuing peace and reciprocity, and promoting joint exploration and development,” according to Kao. [FULL STORY]
