Sri Vijaya Puram, Aug. 3: Taiwan has reaffirmed its sovereignty claim over islands in the South China Sea following the Philippines’ submission of an official nautical chart of Scarborough Shoal to the United Nations, underscoring continuing territorial disputes in one of the world’s most strategically significant maritime regions. The development highlights competing claims over the atoll and renewed emphasis on international legal mechanisms for resolving maritime disputes.
According to local media reports, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) on Sunday reiterated that disputes in the South China Sea should be settled peacefully in accordance with international law and the law of the sea. The ministry also called for Taipei’s inclusion in multilateral mechanisms dealing with the resolution of disputes in the region.
The statement followed the Philippines’ decision to deposit an official nautical chart of Scarborough Shoal with the United Nations last week. The submission was made to reaffirm Manila’s claim over the disputed atoll, which is also claimed by Taiwan and China.
Taiwan’s Central News Agency (CNA) reported that the MoFA viewed the development as part of the broader dispute over competing territorial claims in the South China Sea and reiterated Taiwan’s position on the issue.
In a statement issued on Friday, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said the deposit of the nautical chart was carried out pursuant to Article 16 of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
According to the Philippine Foreign Affairs Department, the Convention requires coastal states to publicise official charts showing the baselines from which the breadth of their territorial sea is measured. The submission to the United Nations was made in line with this requirement.
The latest exchange comes amid continuing overlapping claims over Scarborough Shoal, with Manila, Taipei and Beijing each asserting sovereignty over the atoll. Taiwan, in its latest statement, maintained that any differences concerning the South China Sea should be addressed through peaceful means and within the framework of international law while reiterating its call to participate in multilateral dispute-settlement processes.
The development adds to ongoing diplomatic efforts surrounding maritime claims in the South China Sea, where competing sovereignty assertions continue to be addressed through legal, diplomatic and international institutional channels.
