CHAPTER FIVE

TAIWAN’S POLICY TOWARDS THE SOUTH

CHINA SEA

JANA SEHNALKOVA

1

When discussing the territorial disputes in the South China Sea, Taiwan is
often omitted. Its territorial claims are often seen within the context of
China’s claims. Taiwan is thus frequently seen as China’s proxy in the
South China Sea territorial disputes. Taiwan’s position as a claimant in the
South China Sea is complicated by Taiwan’s diplomatic isolation. Taipei
has no diplomatic relations with the other claimant parties, nor is it a
partner to ASEAN, which positions itself as one of the primary
organizations within whose framework the South China Sea disputes are
discussed. In other words, Taiwan’s ability to enter into bilateral
negotiations is severely limited, nor does it have access to multilateral fora
where the issue of disputed territories could be discussed and solved.^2 Due
to its disputed international status, Taiwan’s control over some of the
South China Sea islands is factual, but it has weak grounding in
international law – in fact, from the international law perspective, Taiwan
can hardly make claims to any territory. However, Taiwan has acted
independently in the South China Sea and, despite its lack of access to
international fora, it has tried to influence the debates about the South
China Sea issues. At the same time, it has repeatedly defended its position
on its sovereignty over the South China Sea by strengthening its military
posturing and employing radical rhetoric, as well as other means. On

(^1) Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of
American Studies.
(^2) The only exception being the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia
Pacific, which allows the participation of Taiwanese scholars. CSCAP, however,
does not allow Taiwan to raise any issues in this forum. Moreover, Taiwan’s
delegation at CSCAP is designated as “Taiwan, China” or “Taipei, China” which is
not acceptable for Taipei.