b 9
Strategic Vision vol. 5, no. 28 (September, 2016)
Constructive Diplomacy Taiwan seeks to peacefully support its position in contentious South China Sea Mu-lan Kao
D
isputes in the South China Sea (SCS) have been escalating since an arbitration case against China’s maritime claims was initiated by the Philippines in 2013. The legal status of the U-shaped line (also known as the nine-dash line), island-building activities by the People’s Republic of China (PRC), and the US Navy’s SCS Freedom of Navigation operations have all come into question in recent years. There is no denying that tensions are growing amid intransigence on the part of both Beijing and Washington, causing other, smaller nations in the region grave concern. In the face of these
rising tensions, Taipei stands to offer a unique way to move forward through cooperation and peace, and could position itself as a leader in solving the multiple overlapping territorial claims in this hotly contested sea. The U-shaped line delineates the scope of what Beijing believes to be Chinese territorial waters in the South China Sea. It first appeared in December, 1947, on a map produced by the Republic of China (ROC), which shortly thereafter moved its capital to Taipei. Moreover, it is common knowledge that the ROC and China share similar sovereignty claims. After China
photo: ROC Presidential Office Former ROC President Ma Ying-jeou poses with a delegation during a trip to Taiping Island in the South China Sea.
Mu-Lan Kao is an attorney-at-law and a lecturer with the College of Law at Ming Chuan University. She is currently a PhD candidate with the Institute of the Law of the Sea at Taiwan Ocean University. She can be reached at kaomulan@hotmail.com