President Ma Ying-jeou met on the morning of September 24 with a delegation of British parliamentarians led by House of Lords Deputy Speaker and co-chair of the British-Taiwan All-Party Parliamentary Group Lord Faulkner of Worcester. In addition to discussing cooperation projects between Taiwan and Britain, the president also reiterated his call for a dialogue mechanism involving three parallel tracks of bilateral dialogue between the parties to the sovereignty dispute over the Diaoyutai Islets. President Ma expressed his hopes that all sides will recognize the existence of the controversy, agree to shelve the dispute, and decide to jointly develop the natural resources in the seas around the Daioyutais.
In remarks, the president stated that 128 jurisdictions throughout the world have already granted visa-free or landing visa courtesies to ROC nationals, compared with just 54 jurisdictions when he took office over four years ago. One of the key factors behind this significant growth was the UK's decision in January 2009 to grant visa-free courtesies to ROC nationals. This move, he said, prompted the European Union to follow in the UK's footsteps. The president pointed out that the number of ROC nationals visiting the UK has risen 150% from the level prior to the granting of visa-free treatment. In addition, since Taiwan and the UK inked a youth working holiday agreement in January of this year, the UK has become one of the most favored places for youth from Taiwan to visit, as evidenced by the large number of applications to participate in the program, he said. The 1,000 slots provided annually are filled almost instantly, he said, adding that his hope the annual quota will be increased. President Ma also noted that in 1985 only 36 students from Taiwan were studying in the UK, but, that number has now grown to 3,000-4,000 per year, making the UK the second most favorite overseas destination for students from Taiwan behind only the United States. The president said this strongly promotes bilateral ties in the spheres of education and culture.
The president then turned to the issue of sovereignty over the Diaoyutais, which has been a focus of attention in the international community lately. The president first explained that the Chinese name "Diaoyutai" (釣魚臺) can be traced back some 500 years, while the Japanese name for the islands—the Senkakus ("pointed steeples"尖閣諸島)—only goes back to 1843. In that year the captain of a British vessel passed by the islands and noted the towering peaks on the south and north islands of the chain, writing that they looked like steeples. Consequently, he named the islands the "Pinnacle Islands." Japanese scholars subsequently named the islands the Senkaku Islands, changing the name from the "Diaoyutais," which had been used since ancient times in China, he said.
The president stated that the ROC has consistently advocated the resolution of international disputes via peaceful means. The nation, he said, is adamant that although sovereignty over national territory cannot be compromised, natural resources can be shared . It was with this in mind that on August 5 he unveiled his East China Sea Peace Initiative, hoping that all parties would act simultaneously to shelve the sovereignty dispute and instead work together to develop resources in the East China Sea.
President Ma pointed to the example of the North Sea, emphasizing that in the 1960s, the UK, Germany, Denmark, and Norway all claimed sovereignty over the seas in the area, which led to considerable dispute. In 1969, the International Court issued a ruling on the North Sea Continental Shelf cases , finding that each country was entitled to specific areas in which to drill for oil. Brent Crude has now become one of the world's most famous petroleum trading classifications, and it plays a key role in the determination of international oil prices. The prominence of Brent Crude has made the UK an important producer and supplier of petroleum, he said.
President Ma stated that Europe adopted peaceful means to resolve the dispute and gathered under one roof in an effort to negotiate a solution. However, Taiwan and Japan do not maintain formal diplomatic relations and relations between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are unique. Consequently, it is difficult for three-way talks between mainland China, Taiwan, and Japan to take place. At the same time, Japan and Russia have an ongoing dispute over the Four Northern Islands (also known as the South Kuril Islands), while Japan and Korea dispute the islands known as Takeshima in Japan and Dokdo in Korea. Japan is quite willing to litigate these controversies with Russia and Korea before the International Court. In the case of the Diaoyutais, however, Japan refuses to recognize the existence of any dispute, much less have it litigated before the International Court, the president said, commenting that clearly their standards for handling these disputes are inconsistent. The president also stated that Japan ruled Taiwan for 50 years (1895-1945) and during that period designated the Daioyutais as a fishing ground for Taiwan fishermen. Today, however, Taiwan fishermen are harassed by Japanese coast guard vessels when they attempt to fish in that area, which impacts their rightful interests, he said.
President Ma said that the use of military force should be avoided in any international dispute. In order to prevent tensions from rising, he said that he has advocated the idea of three separate bilateral dialogues among the three parties involved , with the hope of addressing fishing, drilling, and other related issues. Talks, he said, would be held between Taiwan and mainland China, Taiwan and Japan, and mainland China and Japan. Then, once these bilateral talks are concluded, the parties could move on to a single trilateral negotiation process.
President Ma stressed that peace in the region would be harmed by the outbreak of war in the East China Sea. At the same time, Taiwan, mainland China, and Japan are important members of the world economy. An armed conflict in the area would also impact economic growth in East Asia and the world as a whole, he said. Taiwan therefore does not wish to see such a conflict break out. With regard to the Diaoyutai dispute, the president pointed out that the ROC's basic policy is to defend its sovereignty and protect its fishing rights. However, he said the ROC hopes that all sides will acknowledge the existence of the dispute and decide to shelve controversy, and instead work together to jointly develop the area's natural resources. The ROC, the president stated, is a peace-loving nation and will always seek to resolve international disputes in a peaceful manner. To this day, however, the Japanese have yet to even recognize the existence of the dispute over the Diaoyutais, which the president said creates a barrier to the advancement of bilateral discussions in a peaceful manner.
The delegation also included Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons Nigel Evans, and Members of Parliament John Whittingdale, Graham Brady, Andrew Gwynne, Baroness Howells, and Lord Rana, along with British Trade and Cultural Office in Taiwan Director David Campbell. The delegation was accompanied to the Presidential Office by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Vanessa Yea-Ping Shih (史亞平) to meet President Ma. Also attending the meeting was National Security Council Advisor Francis Yi-Hua Kan (甘逸驊).