New lighthouse, wharf inaugurated on Taiping Island

2015/12/15

A lighthouse and wharf were inaugurated Dec. 12 on Taiping Island, underscoring the commitment of the ROC government to protecting the nation’s territorial rights and maritime interests in the South China Sea, according to the Ministry of the Interior.

During the ceremony, MOI Minister Chen Wei-zen said the facilities are in keeping with the spirit of the South China Sea Peace Initiative proposed by President Ma Ying-jeou in May.

“This initiative reaffirms the longstanding principles of safeguarding sovereignty, shelving disputes, pursuing peace and reciprocity and promoting joint development,” Chen said.

Taiping, which boasts an abundance of natural resources and groundwater, is the largest naturally formed island of the Nansha (Spratly) Islands and located 1,600 kilometers southeast of Kaohsiung City.

“From the perspective of history, geography and international law, the Nansha, as well as the Shisha [Paracel], Chungsha [Macclesfield Bank] and Tungsha [Pratas] island groups and their surrounding waters are all an inherent part of the nation’s territory,” he added.

The ROC has maintained a permanent presence on Taiping and developed the island via government projects over the past decades, qualifying it without question as an island under the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Undertakings in this regard include installation of solar energy panels and establishment of Nansha Hospital and a telemedical service system to provide medical care for locally based personnel and in case of emergency, foreign fishermen operating in the region.

The lighthouse and wharf are part of the government’s plan to transform Taiping into a peaceful, eco-friendly and low-carbon island. The former contributes to the safe seaborne transport of goods and the provision of humanitarian aid, while the latter—measuring 318 meters long and 20 meters wide—can accommodate ships of 3,000 tons

Other proposals in the pipeline include a Ministry of Science and Technology-overseen research station for studying ecological conservation, ocean currents, seismology and weather.

According to Chen, recent sovereignty claims by other parties regarding these islands have made the region one of international concern. “Although the ROC is rock solid on its rights, the government remains committed to a peacemaking role by working with other parties for the harmonious settlement of such disputes,” he said.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=240098&ctNode=2194&mp=9)