Opposition parties in Taiwan have accused the government of failing to defend the island’s longstanding claims in the South China Sea after a muted response to the Philippines’ recent actions regarding disputed maritime boundaries.

Kuomintang (KMT) culture and communications committee director Chen I-hsin criticized the government on Sunday, stating, “The government speaks loudly when confronting mainland China, but falls silent when Japan or the Philippines challenges Taiwan’s claims.”

Chen’s remarks came in response to the Philippines’ move to assert territorial sea baseline claims around Scarborough Shoal, a group of small, low-lying rocky islets off the east coast of Luzon. The shoal is known as Huangyan Island in mainland China, Minzhu Reef in Taiwan, and Panatag Shoal in the Philippines, with all three claiming sovereignty.

Last week, Manila filed its official nautical chart for Scarborough Shoal with the United Nations. The chart defines the Philippines’ claims to the shoal’s “territorial sea baseline,” including the outer limits of its 12-nautical-mile (22 km) territorial sea and 24-nautical-mile contiguous zone.

The opposition’s criticism highlights tensions over maritime claims in the South China Sea and calls attention to Taiwan’s perceived lack of assertiveness in protecting its interests against neighboring countries’ claims.

Sources

South China Morning Post World