President Ma Ying-jeou met on the morning of May 27 with international guests attending the 2015 International Law Association and American Society of International (ILA-ASIL) Asia-Pacific Research Forum. In addition to reiterating the importance of the South China Sea Peace Initiative, the president again urged all parties concerned to shift their problem-solving strategy from pursuing sovereignty claims to sharing natural resources.
In remarks, the president stated that tensions are continuing to rise in the South China Sea and countries in the region are strengthening their defense capabilities. At this juncture, what is needed is a solution to the problem that everyone can accept. Therefore, in remarks at the opening ceremony of the 2015 ILA-ASIL Research Forum on May 26, he unveiled the South China Sea Peace Initiative, which carries immense significance.
The president stated that the ROC government already made a definitive proclamation and explained its stance regarding the South China Sea islands back in 1947. The ROC's position regarding those islands and waters has not changed, he said. Currently, of over 100 reefs in the South China Sea, Vietnam occupies 29, the Philippines nine, mainland China seven, Malaysia five, and the ROC two. The president believes that given this situation, hoping to resolve this issue from the standpoint of sovereignty via negotiation, arbitration, or legal means "isn't likely to produce a result in our lifetime."
The president stressed that the South China Sea Peace Initiative is not just a written viewpoint or slogan. Rather, the ROC government believes it offers the possibility to resolve the issue based on the practical experience derived from the East China Sea Peace Initiative, and this is why it is promoting this initiative.
Responding to the reaction of various sectors to the South China Sea Peace Initiative, the president stated that media reports have indicated that the United States has praised the ROC's statements on this issue. The opposition party here in Taiwan, however, feels that the government is echoing mainland China's position, which shows that the opposition does not have any common sense, the president said. He added that the ROC made the sovereignty claim in 1947 before the Chinese Communists had even established a government in mainland China. In fact, it is the mainland that has copied our stance and not the other way around, the president stated. Even more important, he said, is that the ROC's claim is based on the ROC Constitution, and our claims have not changed over the past 60 years.
With respect to the stance by some individuals in the opposition party that the government should abandon its sovereignty claims in the South China Sea islands, including Taiping Island, the president stressed that based on the ROC Constitution, the government will never do that. In the past, the opposition party's chairperson asserted that the ROC government is a government in exile. Whether that is related to abandoning South China Sea sovereignty claims is something we are currently working to understand, the president said. Regardless, what is important is that the focus of our problem-solving strategy should shift from addressing sovereignty claims to sharing natural resources.
The president also mentioned that the visitors are all distinguished experts in the field of international law. For example, ASIL President Lori Fisler Damrosch, who wrote an article analyzing the situation on the 10th anniversary of the passage of the Taiwan Relations Act, and ILA German Branch Professor Torsten Stein, who released a paper on related topics. The president hopes that all of the visitors will gain a deep understanding of Taiwan on their visit and exchange opinions with many sectors of society.
Also in the delegation was Professor Meredith Kolsky Lewis, a member of ASIL; Dr. Kamal Hossain, Vice-Chair of the ILA; Professor Walter Woon, Chairman of the Society for International Law Singapore; Dr. Helmut Tuerk, former Judge at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea; Ms. Marie Sheldon, Publishing Director of Brill/Nijhoff Publishing; Professor Hennie Strydom, President of the ILA South African Branch; Professor Seung Hwan Choi, President of the ILA Korean Branch; and Seoul National University Professor Emeritus Sang Myon Rhee.