Taiwan
Symbolic Dienstrundgang in the “basement”
Taiwan’s crucial to President Ma Ying-jeou has the disputed island of Itu Aba in the South China sea visits. He reiterated Taiwan’s territorial claims and urged the riparian States to negotiate on.
A total of nearly five hours of flight, for three hours of a 0.5 square-mile island to visit – Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou had on Thursday just a reminder: visit to the island of Taiping, about 1600 kilometers away from Taiwan.
Internationally, she is also called Itu Aba, is known, and is located in the North of the disputed Spratly Islands. It is the only island in the South China sea, the Taiwan is managed. After the end of the Second world war, took over the Republic of China government in 1945 to escape from the Communists to Taiwan moved was the control of Taiping from Japan. “The Republic of China at the same time, officially its sovereignty over the entire archipelago declared,” says Tsai Wei from the Taiwanese University Chinese culture.
Taiwan’s crucial to President Ma
Actions of symbolic power
Ma visited on the island a Süßwasseranlage and a Farm and gave a letter to Taiwan on. Representatives of the press were travelled not travelled along, for reasons of space, as it was called. In the by the official news Agency (CNA) published Redemanuskript affirmed Ma the territorial claims of Taiwan to the Spratly group and invited all riparian States at the same time, the peace in the South China sea to maintain and perceived resources together to open up.
In may 2015, had Ma a peace initiative proposed to the Inselstreit settle. All lands, the claims to the archipelago collect, including, apart from Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and the people’s Republic of China, could be an escalation in the Inselstreit prevent and make sure that the waters are free remain passable, Ma.
Island, no Felsenbrocken
The visit by President Ma took place before the traditional Chinese spring festival, on the 8. February begins. There are currently around 120 employees, of the Taiwanese coast guard and 19 soldiers of the air force stationed there. A car on the island is approved, the main transport is the bike. In addition to a runway and operates Taiwan there a solar power system, a medical facility, as well as Radar and telecommunications systems.
Itu Aba in the Spratly Islands, also from the Philippines claimed. Since 2013 the Philippines before the Permanent arbitration court in The Hague a lawsuit against the people’s Republic of China to the clarification of property rights in the Spratlys. Beijing denies, however, the jurisdiction of the court and participates in the process not part. The situation had worsened, as China 2015, the construction of several artificial Islands in the area are completed.
The time of the visit was with a view of the proceedings in The Hague has been established, said Wang Kuan-Hsiung, a political scientist and Professor at the Pädagogsichen Taiwan normal University. “The Permanent arbitration court may be as early as may or June, his judgment is announced. The Philippines dispute the claim of Taiwan on the grounds that the it on Taiping neither fresh water nor soil will admit that it was no island, but a Felsenbrocken. That’s not true”, said Wang in an Interview with Deutsche Welle.
The agrees with Song Yann-Huei, a researcher at the Academia Sinica in Taipei, at: “On the island grow up to ten meters high trees, there is life there, chickens and sheep. There is Internet access and cell phone reception. There are bananas, coconuts, and Papayas are harvested. Why should Taiping is not an island,” he writes on the website of the Asian Maritime transparency initiative (AMTI).
Protests of nearby residents
Ma had his successor, the incoming President Tsai Ing-wen, who asked, in turn, a representative with you on the trip to send. Tsai declined to do so, however, out of respect for the current government, it said. Already in the election campaign had Tsai stressed, also your party to see the disputed Islands as a territorial part of the Republic of China, i.e. Taiwan. You support at the same time, any peace initiative in all countries involved.
In Inselstreit will the new Taiwanese government under President Tsai, the on 20. May to the office is introduced, to act very carefully, says political scientist Wong Ming-hsien, at the University of Cologne had. “Tsai Ing-wen is the dispute over the South China sea, playing down,” predicts Wong, at the Tamkang University in Taiwan teaches. He is also adviser to the national security Council. The new President will have control over the island not to give up, to minimise any confusion between Taipei and Beijing to avoid. But the island I will not visit, so Wong,
Vietnam and Philippines had already in advance against the visit in protest. Also the United States, with the visit not agree. Mark C. Toner, a spokesman for the US state Department, said: “to be honest, we are very disappointed. In our view such an action is not helpful and can’t to a peaceful resolution of the dispute to contribute”.
Two passenger planes landed at the beginning of Janaury on the artificial island in the South China sea
The response of the Taiwanese Ministry of foreign Affairs was prompt: “The visit to the Taiping island is so as visits to the owners house and visit it from the floor up to the basement”. An acceptance on the part of Washington was not required.
Tailwind for Mas comes for a visit from Beijing. “The Spratly Islands belong since ever to the Chinese territory. The Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are obliged by China’s ancestors inherited property to defend,” says a Außenamtssprecherin.