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Taiwan and the SCS/WPS; re-titled merged threads
Topic Started: Jun 28 2012, 06:47 PM (4,506 Views)
Hong Nam
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Bought by China

Taiwan makes progress on Taiping Island harbour

James Hardy, London and Sean O'Connor, Indiana - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
12 October 2014


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Airbus Defence and Space imagery shows Taiwan-occupied Taiping Island in the South China Sea. Evidence of harbour construction is visible. (@ CNES (2014), Distribution Airbus DS / Spot Image S.A. / IHS)



Taiwan is making progress on its construction of a harbour on the southwest tip of the island, which is also known as Itu Aba.

The building of a breakwater off the island's southwest corner that may be one element of the wharf. Since April the section behind the breakwater has been backfilled to create new land. At least four cranes are present on the new land, along with other construction vehicles. A new breakwater has also been created and a channel dredged to the east of the new land.

Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration (CGA) carried out a feasibility study for the construction of a wharf capable of handling 2,000-tonne frigates in 2013. The government has set aside USD110.24 million for the project, which is expected to be completed in 2015.

Taiping Island also has a 1,150 m-long and 30 m-wide runway, which was completed in early 2008. Satellite imagery shows no construction under way.

Members of the Legislative Committee on Foreign Affairs and National Defense also recently called on the Ministry of National Defence (MND) to deploy the MIM-72J Sea Chaparral surface-to-air missiles (SAM). However, the MND has said it has not decided what to do with the Chaparral missiles.

Taiwan's president has clarified the island's interpretation of the famous 9-dash-line at a recent exhibition in Taipei of some of the archives that RoC leader Chiang Kai-shek and the Kuomintang (KMT) took to Taiwan when they fled to the island in 1949, President Ma Ying-jeou said that the 1947 map and claim was limited to islands and 3 to 12 n miles of their adjacent waters. There were "no other so-called claims to sea regions", he said.



IHS Jane's 360





Edited by Hong Nam, Oct 14 2014, 07:18 PM.

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Constructions Mecaniques de Normandie - C Sword 90



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MSantor
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Reuters

Quote:
 
Taiwan considers permanent armed ships for disputed South China Sea island
BY MICHAEL GOLD

(Reuters) - Taiwan is considering stationing armed vessels permanently on a disputed South China Sea island, officials said, a move bound to renew friction in a region claimed almost wholly by China, with Vietnam already dismissing such a plan as "illegal".

The potentially energy-rich Spratly islands are one of the main flashpoints in the South China Sea, with claims also from Malaysia, the Philippines and Brunei, and are closely watched by the United States after China placed a giant oil rig in nearby waters also claimed by Vietnam.

Itu Aba, also known as Tai Ping, is the only island in the Spratlys large enough to accommodate a port - currently under construction. Taiwan had previously said the port, expected to be completed in late 2015, would allow 3,000-tonne naval frigates and coastguard cutters to dock there.

(...SNIPPED)

"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." - Henry Ford

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Defense News

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Taiwan Calls for Calm Over Territorial Disputes
Oct. 21, 2014 - 04:27PM | By WENDELL MINNICK

TAIPEI — Taiwan serves as a “pivot point” from a geostrategic perspective and a cornerstone for Asia-Pacific regional stability, Taiwan’s Navy chief warned last week.

Adm. Chen Yeong-kang spoke during the 2014 International Sea Lines of Communication (SLOC) Conference sponsored by the Taiwan Navy on Oct. 15.

Moreover, the Taiwan Strait is the “maritime gullet” between Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia, he said. Any “abrupt armed incident or mass military conflict” in the SLOC is possible and would “endanger transport safety.”

(...SNIPPED)

"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." - Henry Ford

"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm."
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Defense News

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Taiwan Defence Minister Visits Disputed Spratlys
Nov. 5, 2014 - 02:43PM | By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

AIPEI, TAIWAN — Taiwan’s defence minister visited a disputed island in the South China Sea Wednesday, the first such trip by a Taiwanese military chief for more than five years, amid growing tensions in the region.

Yen Ming, together with two legislators and several reporters, flew to Taiping, a Taiwan-administered island which is part of the Spratlys — a chain also claimed in whole or in part by China, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and Brunei.

The defence ministry confirmed the visit but declined to provide details.

It was the first by a Taiwanese defence minister since January 2009 when then-defence minister Chen Chao-min flew to the island more than 800 nautical miles (1,482 kilometers) from Taiwan.

(...SNIPPED)

"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." - Henry Ford

"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm."
- Winston Churchill


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MSantor
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Diplomat

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Taiwan Vows to Defend South China Sea Claims as Philippines Case Begins Against China
The government stands firm on its position

Taiwanese president Ma Ying-jeou said Tuesday that his government would “staunchly defend” its South China Sea claims just as the Philippines’ case against China’s South China Sea claims kicks off before a United Nations arbitral tribunal at The Hague.

Taiwan, one of six claimants in the South China Sea, shares China’s claim to virtually the entire South China Sea that dates back before the split between the Communists and Nationalists in 1949 following the Chinese Civil War. It has occupied Itu Aba (which it calls Taiping Island), the largest feature in the South China Sea, since 1956.

“The ROC government will staunchly defend its sovereignty over Taiping and every right held by the country under international law,” Ma said in speech at an international conference in Taipei commemorating the 70th anniversary of Chinese nationalist forces’ victory in the war against Japan.

(...SNIPPED)
"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." - Henry Ford

"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm."
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ABS-CBN

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Taiwan eyes maritime deal with Philippines, Japan

Reuters
Posted at 08/06/2015 8:22 PM | Updated as of 08/07/2015 12:50 AM
TAIPEI - Taiwan's coastguard wants to improve cooperation with the Philippines and conduct joint search and rescue exercises despite tense standoffs in disputed waters in recent months, a senior coastguard official said on Thursday.

The two sides have agreed to work toward joint exercises and have already held discussions on how to conduct rescue operations, Cheng Chang-hsiung, deputy minister of Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration, told Reuters in an interview.

"Now we are moving toward exercises. This is the direction of our efforts. Both sides are making the effort," Cheng said.

(...SNIPPED)

"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." - Henry Ford

"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm."
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MSantor
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Taiwan's South China Sea initiative

For many years, the international community has been less than fair in its treatment of Taiwan. Nevertheless, the government and people of the Republic of China (ROC) on Taiwan are committed to having their nation be a capable, responsible stakeholder as well as a facilitator and protector of peace in the region and across the Taiwan Strait. On May 26, ROC President Ma Ying-jeou put forth the South China Sea Peace Initiative. This important policy follows up on his 2012 proposal of a similar peace plan for the East China Sea and reflects a longstanding ROC philosophy and approach; as such , it merits global attention.

Under the premise that ROC territory and sovereignty are safeguarded, the South China Sea Peace Initiative – which mirrors the East China Sea plan – calls on all parties concerned to shelve sovereignty disputes, exercise restraint, and agree to resolve disputes peacefully, establish a code of conduct, respect the UN Charter and Convention on the Law of the Sea, and jointly develop resources. It also urges the parties to work together on such nontraditional security issues as recue at sea, combating piracy, and humanitarian assistance. Taiwan firmly adheres to this position and offers a viable path that deserves affirmation.

President Ma mindfully chose this moment to introduce the South China Sea Peace Initiative. The world is now waiting to see whether further action will be taken, and how the parties concerned react to the proposal.


(...SNIPPED)

Edited by MSantor, Aug 28 2015, 11:31 PM.
"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." - Henry Ford

"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm."
- Winston Churchill


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One instance where the US won't necessarily back the Philippines when it comes to a SCS dispute- when it involves Taiwan's own claims.


Diplomat


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US to Support Taiwan in South China Sea Per 2016 Defense Budget Bill
U.S. support for Taiwan will extend into the South China Sea.


By Ankit Panda
October 04, 2015

Last Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives expressed its approval of the changes the Senate had made in June to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (NDAA 2016), the latest iteration of an annual law that authorizes defense spending for the coming fiscal year. The House and the Senate had been logjammed over the differences between the two version of the bill, but, pending final approval by the House and Senate, NDAA 2016 will find its way to the White House for the president’s signature. The reconciled version of NDAA 2016, as with previous iterations of the U.S. defense spending legislation, affirms U.S. support for Taiwan. This year’s version, unlike last year’s, includes Taiwan among a list of countries that will receive active “assistance and training” from the United States in the South China Sea.

Section 1261 of NDAA 2016 outlines a new “South China Sea Initiative,” which appears first in a sector on “Matters Relating to the Asia-Pacific Region.” It notes that the secretary of defense is authorized to provide assistance and training to Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Brunei, Singapore, and, finally, Taiwan, “for the purpose of increasing maritime security and maritime domain awareness of foreign countries along the South China Sea.”

(...SNIPPED)
"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." - Henry Ford

"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm."
- Winston Churchill


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MSantor
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Focus Taiwan

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Taiwan to take steps to defend South China Sea sovereignty
2015/11/02 23:23:17

Taipei, Nov. 2 (CNA) The Executive Yuan said Monday that it will take all necessary steps to defend the Republic of China's sovereignty and maritime rights over its territorial islands in the South China Sea.

The Cabinet's statement was Taiwan's latest response to a ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Netherlands last week that it has jurisdiction to hear a Philippines complaint against China.

In the complaint, the Philippines argued that China's "nine-dashed line" territorial claim over South China Sea waters is unlawful under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

(...SNIPPED)


"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." - Henry Ford

"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm."
- Winston Churchill


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Diplomat

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Taiwan's South China Sea Headache

Caught between its own territorial claims and international criticism of the “nine-dashed line”, what is Taiwan to do?

shannon-tiezzi
By Shannon Tiezzi
November 04, 2015

One week ago today, the U.S. sent a destroyer within 12 nautical miles of the Chinese-controlled Subi Reef in the South China Sea on a freedom of navigation patrol. Two days later, on October 29, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled that it does have jurisdiction to hear the Philippines’ case challenging China’s “nine-dash line” in the South China Sea. In other words, it’s been a big week for the South China Sea disputes.

Discussions of the South China Sea tend to center around China – its “aggression” or “assertiveness”; the ambiguity of its claims; its moves to overturn the “status quo” or create “facts on the water” by building artificial islands. But China isn’t alone in claiming wide swathes of the South China Sea based on “historical” claims that seem out-of-step with UNCLOS. In fact, Taiwan – a close U.S. partner and generally seen as an upstanding supporter of international law – has claims almost identical to Beijing’s, a function of the fact that the Republic of China government was the originator of China’s claim to the u-shaped line encircling most of the South China Sea.

Taiwan is in something of a bind when it comes to the South China Sea issue. On the one hand, no government wants to relinquish territorial claims – in Taiwan’s case in particular, the constitution dictates that “the territory of the Republic of China within its existing national boundaries shall not be altered except by a resolution of the National Assembly.” That means, legally speaking, Taipei could not simply relinquish its claim over the South China Sea features even if it were so inclined.

(...SNIPPED)


"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." - Henry Ford

"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm."
- Winston Churchill


"If everyone is thinking alike, someone isn't thinking"- Gen. George S. Patton
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