Commentary

Implementing the East China Sea peace initiative

(CNA photos)

• Publication Date：08/19/2012
• Source： Taiwan Today
• By  Song Yann-huei

The East China Sea peace initiative, unveiled by ROC President Ma Ying-jeou on the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Peace between the ROC and Japan at the Taipei Guest House, has special historical significance. It demonstrates the nation’s commitment to preserving peace and a pragmatic approach to dealing with escalating tensions over the Diaoyutai Archipelago through the shelving of disputes, peace and reciprocity, and joint development.

The Ma administration must take aggressive pragmatic steps to build support for the initiative, however. A good place to begin would be with private citizens and academia, holding nonofficial dialogues and international conferences, inviting local, Japanese, mainland Chinese and U.S. specialists to put their heads together in search of consensus.

Next, the government should call for all claimant parties to sign a declaration on conduct in the East China Sea, as was done in the South China Sea, or even negotiate an East China Sea code of conduct. Finally, it ought to promote formation of a joint private company to survey oil and natural gas resources in the region, and establish a fisheries conservation and management organization.

The U.S. Senate and State Department have recently urged nations around the South China Sea to “work collaboratively and diplomatically to resolve disputes without coercion, without intimidation, without threats, and without the use of force.” This spirit is even more necessary in the East China Sea, where the potential for serious clashes is higher and there are no government-to-government or unofficial security talks, and no agreements on a code of conduct.

While a well-known mainland Chinese academic believes the peace initiative is “constructive, reasonable and timely,” and a Belgian scholar said it should be welcomed and affirmed, putting it into practice will require close observation of how attitudes develop toward it in the global community, especially in Japan and mainland China.

On Aug. 7, the Japanese foreign minister said there is no territorial issue concerning the Diaoyutais, though he stressed that Japan would work hard to prevent the question from affecting good relations with Taiwan, pointing out that cooperation in the East China Sea is possible.

Would Japan go so far as to pass a code of conduct and agree to protect and manage fishery resources with Taiwan and mainland China, and jointly survey the oil and natural gas resources?

Beijing’s response is also crucial. Over the last 15 years Taiwan has repeatedly said it would not collaborate with mainland China to resolve controversy in the East China Sea, but the initiative implies that all claimants, including Beijing, should engage in political dialogue on a code of conduct and the cooperative development of resources.

For Taiwan, maritime rights and dominion over islands in the East China Sea are core political issues involving cross-strait relations, bilateral ties with Japan and the U.S., and multilateral political, economic, diplomatic, military, strategic and security affairs in East Asia and the Asia Pacific. Any hard line actions that might raise tensions are clearly not in the national interest, and would violate the Ma administration’s commitment to being a force for peace on the global stage.

In proposing the East China Sea peace initiative, Taiwan has taken an active role, raising its international profile in relation to East China Sea and Diaoyutai issues and garnering greater domestic support. It has clearly demonstrated to the world that it can make important contributions to regional peace and stability.

The East China Sea peace initiative is a crucial step toward open dialogue and collaboration among nations in the region. Now the government must take bold measures to promote it. (THN)

Song Yann-huei is a research fellow at the Institute of European and American Studies, Academia Sinica. These views are the author’s and not necessarily those of Taiwan Today. Copyright © 2012 by Song Yann-huei

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