The South China Sea is an area of water with multiple claimants. When these parties have overlapping claims of sovereignty and conflicting national interests, the region becomes a flashpoint that may have serious security implications.
Among these claimants, the Philippines, Vietnam and mainland China are engaging in verbal wars. As a party with a significant presence in the region, the ROC cannot sit on the sidelines and watch other claimants settle disputes in isolation.
The ROC asserts sovereignty over the bulk of the South China Sea. This includes the Dongsha (Pratas), Nansha (Spratly), Xisha (Paracel) and Zhongsha (Macclesfield Bank) Islands. Some neighboring states, especially the Philippines, have ignored this reality.
As a sovereign and independent nation, the ROC needs to periodically assert its claims over this area and demonstrate its commitment to the peaceful settlement of disputes. To this end, the Spratly Initiative issued by the government in 2008 remains an important diplomatic tool in inducing claimants to include the ROC in future negotiations.
Four major points were made under this initiative: the ROC’s willingness to accept in principle the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-drafted Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea; the suggestion that all parties agree to recognize the region as an ecological protection area and refrain from exploiting its mineral resources; a plan greenlighting international ecologists and environmentalists to conduct research; and the establishment of a nongovernmental South China Sea research center to serve as a second-track diplomatic channel.
Accompanying the South China Sea Initiative is the ROC’s declared policy toward the region based on safeguarding sovereignty, shelving disputes, pursuing peace and reciprocity, and establishing patterns for joint exploration.
These pillars, which are the guideline for the ROC’s South China Sea policy, should be used to ensure the nation plays a central role in bolstering regional security and safeguarding the area for future generations. All claimants should adhere by these guidelines, shelve disputes and enhance international maritime cooperation.
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