Affirms Taiwan Strait Is An International Waterway, Taipei Says China Has No Right To Speak Or Claim Sovereignty

JAKARTA - Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that the Taiwan Strait is an international waterway, with the Taipei Government supporting US ships transiting the region, rejecting claims from China to exercise sovereignty over the strategic passage.

The narrow strait has been a frequent source of military tension, since the defeated Republic of China Government fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war with the communists, who founded the People's Republic of China.

In recent years, US warships, and occasionally ships from allied nations such as Britain and Canada, have sailed through the strait, angering Beijing.

On Monday, China's Foreign Ministry said the country "has sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the Taiwan Strait".

"This is a false claim, when certain countries refer to the Taiwan Strait as 'international waters' in order to find a pretext to manipulate issues related to Taiwan and threaten China's sovereignty and security," Wang Wenbin, a spokesman for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a statement. Reuters June 14.

In response, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Joanne Ou said in Taipei that such comments were 'a fallacy'.

"The Taiwan Strait is international waters, and waters outside our territorial waters are subject to the principle of 'freedom of the high seas' under international law," he told reporters.

Taiwan has always respected the actions of foreign vessels in the Taiwan Strait that comply with international law, including innocent passage, Ou continued.

"We understand and support the contribution of the US freedom of navigation mission to promoting regional peace and stability," Qu said.

Taiwan's government says China has no right to speak out or claim sovereignty, saying only the Taiwanese people can decide their own future. And, the People's Republic of China never controlled any part of the island.

It is known that China has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control, viewing the island as an inseparable part of Chinese territory.