President Ma Ying-jeou says he hopes Taiwan can participate in any oral hearing on Taiping Island that the Permanent Court of Arbitration might decide to hold.
The island is one subject of controversy in a case brought to court by the Philippines against China over disputes in the South China Sea. The Philippines and China along with Vietnam all claim Taiping Island, which is also known as Itu Aba. But the South China Sea island is under Taiwanese administration.
As the Hague-based court prepares to deliver a verdict in the case, Taiwan’s government has worked to bring attention to one significant detail in the Philippines’ argument that it says is incorrect. The Philippines argues that Taiping Island is not an island at all under international law, but rather a rock.
The dispute is not simply one over naming- at stake is a 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone and control over resources in nearby waters. These are among the benefits of controlling an island that do not come with controlling a rock. Taiwan invited foreign reporters to the island earlier in the year in an effort to show that the island meets two criteria for island status- the ability to support human life and economic activity.
During a speech on Thursday, Ma reiterated Taiwan’s claims to Taiping Island and other disputed islands in the South China Sea. He cited historical documents including the Cairo and Potsdam Declarations as proof that the islands belong to the Republic of China, as Taiwan is officially known.
Ma said that Taiwan welcomes any kind of debate on the island and its status. He said he hopes that if the court decides to hold an oral hearing in the future, Taiwan will be able to participate, even though it is not a party to the case.
Ma also called on judges not to make what he called the wrong decision. He said that ruling should comply with Article 121of the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea, which sets out the legal definition of island. Otherwise, Ma said, the ruling will hurt Taiwan’s rights and will be illegal.