Taiwan’s Policy towards the South China Sea
65shows that the South China Sea territorial disputes are a sensitive issue
and have the potential to develop from a minor clash or miscalculation
into a much larger conflict with dangerous consequences. In this respect,
we cannot ignore the fact that the region of South East Asia has been
growing not only economically, but also militarily–each of the countries
bordering the South China Sea has been investing large resources into
military modernization, partially driven by their economic growth, but
inspired particularly by concerns about the rise of China and its increasing
assertiveness in the region, including the SSC. Without a firm
commitment to regional confidence-building measures and a dispute
resolution mechanism, the potential for confict will remain high. The case
of Taiwan is particularly sensitive in this sense. Due to its unresolved
diplomatic status, Taiwan is not party to any formal framework for
discussing the resolution of South China Sea disputes. However, the spat
with the Philippines shows that Taiwan as a claimant party must not be
omitted in talks about the South China Sea. Its territorial claims, coupled
with modern military forces (provided for partially by the U.S.), could
easily lead to the escalation of a crisis.
Taiwan’s Territorial Claims: Where and Why
The claim of Taiwan (as the Republic of China) in the South China Sea is
identical to, but separate from, the territorial claim of the People’s
Republic of China (PRC). Both entities claim sovereignty over the South
China Sea based on history, discovery, occupation, and extended rights of
continental shelf delimitation.^4 Both Beijing and Taipei claim that the
South China Sea belongs to “China”–and both claim to be that “China”.^5 It
is important to note that, despite their often tense relations in the past,
Beijing has never contested Taiwan’s control over territory in South China
Sea.
Taiwan’s territorial claims are based on history, geography, and
settlement (although not permanent) by Chinese (i.e. Han) fishermen in
pre-modern times. At the same time, Taiwan’s territorial claims are
supported by the longest period of “occupation,” since Taiwan occupied
the Taiping Island and the Pratas in the 1950s and has held them ever
since. Its claimed sovereignty over these territories was not really
challenged until the 1970s when other countries in the region realized the
(^4) Joyner, “The Spratly Islands Dispute: What Role for Normalizing Relations
between China and Taiwan?”
(^5) Ibid.