S. China Sea brings Taiwan, mainland closer
By Wang Jianmin 2015-7-15 0:13:01
Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou has made a series of strong statements about the South China Sea disputes in recent months, a high-profile move rarely seen since the early 2000s.
On May 26, Ma launched a South China Sea Peace Initiative, calling on all claimants to shelve disagreements and jointly exploit resources in the region. One month later during an inspection of Taiwan's "
Ministry of Foreign Affairs,"
he backed the Chinese mainland's reclamation works on some South China Sea islets and reefs, saying they won't jeopardize freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.
Last week, in a commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the end of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression,
Ma said that China resumed its sovereignty over islands in the South China Sea according to relevant international legal documents including the Cairo Declaration, the Potsdam Proclamation and the Japanese Instrument of Surrender. Taiwan would "staunchly defend" the Taiping Island and its legitimate rights in the South China Sea, Ma added.
Ma's intensive announcements to reinforce Taiwan's position in the South China Sea disputes are a response to the recent strong interventions into the region by the US.
Washington maintained a close relationship with Taiwan, a quasi-alliance through the US-Taiwan Relations Act. Washington is eager to talk Taiwan out of insisting on the "eleven-dash line," known as the nine-dash line in the mainland, and claiming sovereignty over the South China Sea. If Washington succeeded, it would be an enormous setback for the mainland to stick to its legitimate claim to the South China Sea on a historical basis.
But from Ma's recent remarks, the Taiwan administration remains firm on this essential issue. Ma knows that the South China Sea is of vital importance to both Taiwan and the mainland.
It is unavoidable that the Ma administration has to strike a balance between the US and the mainland, but it won't give up the South China Sea as a cost of winning favor from the US.
Ma's recent article that was published in the Wall Street Journal in June calls for restraint, peaceful talks, and respect for international law in the South China Sea, which echoes many aspects of US stance over the South China Sea disputes.
This could be regarded as Ma's tactful catering to Washington, a move signifying his prudence when facing both the mainland and the US.
It is time that authorities of both the mainland and Taiwan should engage in talks about cooperation over the South China Sea disputes.
The proposal has been debated and advocated for quite a few years in the mainland and Taiwan. But no real actions have been taken by the authorities on either side.
A breakthrough on these terms is more needed than before. It could serve as an important step to build strategic, military and political trust between the mainland and Taiwan.