Exhibit celebrates South China Sea islands anniversary

2016/12/06

Sustainable Governance and Enduring Peace: An Exhibition Commemorating the 70th Anniversary of the Recovery of the South China Sea Islands will open to the public free of charge Dec. 9-19 at Taipei-based Academia Historica, Taiwan’s foremost institution dedicated to studying and recording the nation’s history.

Jointly organized by the historical organization and the Ministry of the Interior, the exhibition focuses on the three themes of “Historical Developments,” “Key to the Southern Territories” and “Sustainable Peace.” It aims to raise public awareness of Taiping Island and its history, measures taken by the Republic of China (Taiwan) to effectively govern the island and the importance the government attaches to South China Sea issues.

On Dec. 12, 1946, two ROC frigates, the Taiping and Chungyeh, arrived at Taiping Island, the largest of the Nansha (Spratly) Islands, marking the completion of the recovery of the South China Sea islands by the country. According to the MOI, infrastructure projects on the islands such as a hospital and airport were completed in the following decades and incorporated into the nation’s administrative system, laying a solid foundation for the role that the ROC now plays in the South China Sea.

“The last exhibition on Taiping Island was held two years ago and put much focus on historical documents,” said Chen Shing-li, a section chief of the MOI’s Department of Land Administration responsible for organizing the exhibition. “This time we opted for a softer tone.”

According to the official, this year’s event changes course by, for example, showcasing the daily lives of people on Taiping Island through photos they took while there, as well as video clips of interviews with the former residents.

Portraying the rich natural and cultural aspects of Taiping Island, the exhibition hopes to reacquaint the public with the territory and promote better understanding of the achievements resulting from the government’s many years of continued peaceful governance there. According to the MOI, the event is especially significant following an award made by an international tribunal July 12, in a case brought by the Philippines, calling Taiping Island as a “rock” unable to enjoy rights associated with an island under the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The exhibition will also reflect the tenor of the government’s policy regarding South China Sea issues set out by President Tsai Ing-wen July 19, such as ecological conservation work, humanitarian assistance and scientific research, by highlighting efforts undertaken by government agencies in these areas.

With an area of 0.51 square kilometers, Taiping Island can sustain human habitation and an economic life of its own. It also meets the criteria of an island as defined in Article 121 of the UNCLOS, affording the ROC full rights associated with territorial waters, a contiguous zone, a 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone and a continental shelf under UNCLOS.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=250060&ctNode=2194&mp=9)