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Officials monitor air
zone moves
PUSHING PEACE: The Presidential Office said
Beijing’s ADIZ claim does not affect the ROC’s sovereignty over the Diaoyutais,
and it will continue to defend that claim
By Mo Yan-chih and Shih Hsiu-chuan / Staff reporters
Presidential Office spokesperson Lee Chia-fei (李佳霏) said that national security
authorities are paying close attention to regional developments following
China’s declaration of a new air defense identification zone (ADIZ) over an area
of the East China Sea, and will keep in close contact with the US, Japan and
China to resolve the dispute over the zone peacefully.
She reiterated President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) East China Sea peace initiative
and said the government expected the concerned parties to resolve regional
disputes through peaceful dialogue and to avoid escalating tensions.
“The Republic of China [ROC] claims sovereignty over the Diaoyutai Islands
(釣魚台), and mainland China’s announcement will not change anything. The
government defends our sovereignty over the islands and continues to protect
fishing in the region,” she said.
Ma’s East China Sea peace initiative proposes that Taiwan, China and Japan
shelve their differences over the sovereignty of the Diaoyutais, pursue peace
and reciprocity, and jointly explore the natural resources in the area.
Following Beijing’s announcement on Saturday that the ADIZ had gone into effect
at 10am that day, requiring all aircraft flying through the zone to notify China
and to obey orders from Chinese officials, Japan and South Korea aligned with
the US in condemning the move and refusing to comply with Beijing’s rules for
transiting through the zone.
The ROC government has taken a different stance.
On Tuesday, Ma was quoted as saying that China’s ADIZ designation “does not
involve airspace, territorial [claims] or sovereignty,” while the Civil
Aeronautics Administration asked Taiwanese airlines to abide by China’s rules
for safety reasons.
The Yomiuri Shimbun yesterday cited US Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy as
praising Japan’s prompt response to China’s unilateral action when she talked to
Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida on Monday.
Kishida on Tuesday called for cooperation between the US, South Korea, Taiwan
and other concerned countries in demanding that China renounce the ADIZ
designation.
The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) yesterday offered no comments on the ROC
government’s stance on the issue.
Asked by the Taipei Times about communications between the US and Taiwan on the
way Taipei had responded to China’s ADIZ claim, AIT spokesperson Mark Zimmer
said that the AIT does not comment on private discussions with its partners.
The US’ stance has been expressed by its recent statements, he said.
“We remain steadfastly committed to our allies and partners. Further, we
encourage all parties to be transparent in explaining their security policies to
their neighbors,” Zimmer said.
Meanwhile, Japan’s representative office in Taipei yesterday reiterated that
Tokyo wished to cooperate with Taiwan, the US and South Korea on the issue.
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