The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reiterated Taiwan’s claim of sovereignty over the Diaoyutai Islands.
The Diaoyutai Islands are a small cluster of uninhabited islands and rocks located in the East China Sea. They are also known by their Japanese name, the Senkaku Islands. The islands are under Japanese administration, but are subject to competing claims from Taiwan, China, and Japan.
A ministry statement released Friday cited history, geography, geology, de facto usage, and international law as justifications for Taiwan’s claim to the islands. The statement said that the islands rightfully belong to Taiwan.
Friday’s statement comes amid renewed tensions between Japan and China over which side has a legitimate claim to the islands. On Wednesday, Beijing launched a multilingual webpage asserting Chinese sovereignty over the islands. Japan, which has a similar website of its own, demanded that China take down its new page. China has rejected the demands.