Committed to Free Navigation, U.S. Seventh Fleet Challenges Taiwan's Sovereignty Claims in South China Sea

China Times, February 20, 2021

In her national security remarks on February 10, the eve before Chinese New Year, President Tsai Ing-wen affirmed the freedom of navigation operation conducted by the United States Navy in the South China Sea. But it was quite embarrassing that on February 17, the U.S. Seventh Fleet issued a press release emphasizing that the freedom of navigation operation challenged the internationally unlawful restrictions imposed by China, Vietnam, and Taiwan on innocent passage, a position which is tantamount to denying sovereignty claims of the Republic of China in the South China Sea. The press release by the Seventh Fleet is clearly at odds with the position of President Tsai, and the ministries of the Interior, Foreign Affairs, and National Defense were reluctant to comment on this development.

On February 9, the U.S. Navy announced that the aircraft carriers USS Theodore Roosevelt and USS Nimitz and their strike groups would conduct “duel carrier” exercises in the South China Sea. On the same day, President Tsai convened a high-level meeting on national security, indicating that the freedom of navigation operation in the South China Sea demonstrated a clear U.S. approach to challenges to the security status quo in the Indo-Pacific region. Deputy Secretary-General Huang Kwei-bo of the Kuomintang (KMT) later criticized President Tsai's remarks as inappropriate for possibly undermining R.O.C. statehood and national interests in the South China Sea.

The U.S. Seventh Fleet’s destroyer USS Russell was carrying out a freedom of navigation operation in the Spratly Islands waters on February 17, and issued a press release pointing out that unlawful and sweeping maritime claims in the South China Sea pose a serious threat to the freedom of the sea, including freedoms of navigation and overflight, free trade and unimpeded commerce, and freedom of economic opportunity for South China Sea littoral nations. The United States has challenged excessive maritime claims around the world regardless of the identity of the claimant. Furthermore, China, Vietnam, and Taiwan require either permission or advance notification before a foreign military vessel engages in “innocent passage” through the territorial sea. The United States challenged these unlawful restrictions imposed by them and demonstrated that innocent passage may not be subject to such restrictions.

The U.S. Seventh Fleet's challenging Taiwan maritime claims in the South China Sea was seen as a slap on the face to R.O.C. sovereignty claims in the South China Sea. Both of the Office of the President and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs provided no response at all, while the latter expressing gratitude to members of Congress for introducing the "Taiwan Invasion Prevention Act." The Ministry of National Defense said the question regarding the confirmation of R.O.C. sovereignty should be answered by the Ministry of the Interior (MOI), but the MOI indicated that although the national boundaries are nice and clear, it was not in a position to respond to the press release issued by the Seventh Fleet.

Huang expressed that the U.S. freedom of navigation operation referred to in President Tsai's national security talks before Chinese New Year have once again deemed Taiwan, China and Vietnam as "illegally restricting" American freedom of navigation under international law in the South China Sea. The United States is the most important force in safeguarding Taiwan's security, but the Republic of China has its own legitimate sovereignty claims and rights. President Tsai must be aware that the United States has already acted to deny the R.O.C. "excessive maritime claims" over the South China Sea islands and related waters.

Spokeswoman Hsieh Pei-fen of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) stated that the KMT not only obviously over-translated the U.S. Seventh Fleet’s press release, but also might mislead the international community to believe that Taiwan could not "distinguish between friends and foes". Did the KMT echo China's condemnation of the U.S. freedom of navigation operation for fomenting regional unrest in the South China Sea and interfering in China’s internal affairs?

From: https://www.chinatimes.com/newspapers/20210220000356-260118
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