Taiwan Repeats Tiaoyutai Claim

Taiwan reiterated Saturday its sovereignty over the disputed Tiaoyutai Islands following the naming of several uninhabited islets in the East China Sea chain by Japan and China.

"The Tiaoyutai Islands are the inherited territory of the Republic of China and come under the administration of Daxi Village, Toucheng Township, Yilan County," said Minister of the Interior Lee Hong-yuan.

"The ROC government does not recognize any claims or actions by other parties, and any such moves do not affect the legal status of the Tiaoyutai Islands or the ROC's determination and position to firmly protect its sovereignty over the islands," said Lee.

There was no need for Taiwan to name the islets around Tiaoyutai, the ministry said, adding that all official ROC documents, including maps and census reports, clearly record the major islets of the Tiaoyutai.

Taiwan's stance on the issue was a firm claim on the island group's sovereignty in a peaceful and rational manner, said Philip Yang, spokesperson of the Executive Yuan.

The Tiaoyutai Islands, known as the Diaoyutai Islands in China and the Senkaku Islands in Japan, lie about 100 nautical miles off Taiwan's northeastern tip. The island group is also claimed by China and Japan.

China's State Oceanic Administration released its Chinese names for the Diaoyutai Islands and the 70 islets around them on Saturday.

In January, Japan said it planned to officially release names for its 39 outlying islands, including four Tiaoyutai islets, by the end of March.

ENDS

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