Taiwan Offers South China Sea Peace Plan to Avert Major Conflict
By REUTERS

TAIPEI — Taiwan proposed a peace initiative on Tuesday to resolve territorial disputes in the South China Sea that it says will reduce tensions that have put Beijing at odds with its neighbours and the United States.

The South China Sea Peace Initiative announced by President Ma Ying-jeou called on claimants to temporarily shelve their disagreements to enable negotiations on sharing resources.

Ma’s plan is similar to a 2012 proposal for the East China Sea, which allowed Taiwan and Japan to jointly fish in the contested waters.

However it appeared unlikely the plan would be accepted by China, which claims most of the South China Sea and has rebuffed earlier attempts at multilateral negotiations.

“We believe Chinese people on both sides of the Strait have a duty to jointly protect China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests and safeguard the stability of the South China Sea region,” said Hua Chunying, a spokeswoman for China’s Foreign Ministry, when asked about the plan on Tuesday.

China views self-governed Taiwan as a renegade province.

Taiwan has so far played a marginal role in disputes between China and its neighbours in the South China Sea, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year.

China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei all have overlapping claims in the South China Sea. China said on Monday it had lodged a complaint with the United States over a U.S. spy plane that flew over parts of the disputed sea.

Ma’s remarks in a keynote speech at an international law conference in Taipei were the most public comments by Taiwan since the United States, its biggest ally, raised concerns over the speed and breadth of China’s land reclamation in the area.

“We demand that freedom of navigation and overflight be respected in the South China Sea,” said Ma, who urged a peaceful resolution “before a major conflict breaks out”.

Taiwan normally maintains a low-key approach to such issues but has coast guard and military facilities in the area, including an airstrip and soon-to-be-completed port on Taiping Island, also known as Itu Abu, the largest natural land mass in the disputed Spratlys archipelago.

“I believe the mainland side understands the spirit and principle of our South China Sea peace initiative,” Taiwan Foreign Minister David Lin told reporters after Ma’s speech.

The rival claims by Taiwan and China go back to before they split in a civil war in 1949 after the defeated Nationalists fled to the island from the Communists.

美中相爭 馬英九今提「南海和平倡議」

近來中共在南海建人工礁及美國強勢反應，致南海主權爭議再升溫。據指出，馬英九總統今天將依據「東海和平倡議」精神，提出「南海和平倡議」，主張在維護我國對南海主權下，呼籲各方擱置爭議，致力追求和平、互惠與共同開發。

馬總統今將出席「世界國際法學會與美國國際法學會亞太研究論壇」開幕式並致詞，除提出繼台海、東海之後的第三次區域和平主張「南海和平倡議」，並具體宣示我國將主動參與相關對話與合作機制，積極維護區域和平與發展。

府方人士轉述，馬總統認為「和平是人民的權利，更是國家的責任，每個人、每個國家都應致力追求和平」，中華民國在推動區域和平工作上責無旁貸，未來更將與各國合作全力以赴。

府方人士指出，馬總統七年前上任後便以中華民國憲法為架構，「九二共識、一中各表」為基礎，積極推動兩岸和解，成功將台灣海峽從世界三大火藥庫轉變成和平與繁榮之海。

其後面對東海釣魚台主權爭議，馬總統於101年八月五日提出「東海和平倡議」，主張「主權在我、擱置爭議、和平互惠、共同開發」，並在隔年四月十日與日本簽署「台日漁業協議」，為台灣「護主權、顧漁權」。

另在巴士海峽台灣與菲律賓經常發生漁業糾紛，兩年前發生廣大興事件後，我方要求菲律賓道歉、賠償、懲凶，其後雙方達成執法共識，大幅減少雙邊漁業糾紛。

府方人士表示，七年來三次具體實踐，充分證明馬總統的和平主張絕非空言，是具體可行且帶有積極建設性，值得其他發生主權爭議的國家效法。

府方人士說，馬總統希望將台灣在台海與東海具體實踐和平的經驗與方法擴展到南海主權爭議，以提供南海各方解決複雜主權問題的可行之道；並希望藉此讓台灣在國際間扮演「和平締造者」角色，讓台灣成為東亞區域和平穩定與繁榮的重要基石。

原文參照：
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2015/05/26/world/asia/26reuters-taiwan-south-china-sea.html

2015-05-26聯合報 A12 兩岸 記者楊湘鈞