Taiwan fishermen, lawmakers protest panel's Taiping ruling
Updated: 2016-07-21 08:57
(China Daily/AFP)
|
||||||||
Taiwan lawmakers and fishermen headed to an island in the South China Sea on Wednesday to protest an international tribunal's ruling in The Hague.
Eight lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party and the opposition Kuomintang boarded a military plane to Taiping Island, one of the Nansha Islands.
Meanwhile, five fishing boats decorated with banners reading "Protect fishing rights, safeguard sovereignty" set out for the island from Pingtung county, Taiwan, to protest the perceived threat to fishermen's livelihoods.
The boats are expected to arrive in five to six days.
The protests came after the Arbitral Tribunal in The Hague ruled last week that the 0.51-square-kilometer Taiping Island was legally a "rock" and not entitled to an exclusive economic zone. Taiping is inhabited by Taiwan fishermen and garrisoned by Taiwan military forces.
Taiwan's authority has rejected the tribunal's ruling, saying it has no legally binding force.
KMT lawmaker Johnny Chiang took part in Wednesday's protest visit. He said: "The ruling is absolutely unacceptable. It is necessary for us to visit Taiping at this time to show the international community that it is an island, not a rock."
The lawmakers watched a display of combat skills by the coast guard stationed on Taiping and visited facilities that show the island is self-sufficient. They returned on Wednesday afternoon.
When the fishermen arrive in Taiping, they will receive drinking water from the island to prove it is not a mere rock and is fit for human habitation, a spokesman for the group said.
In another development, China on Tuesday urged the European Union to stay neutral over the South China Sea issue, after the Council of the European Union acknowledged the tribunal's ruling.
China's Foreign Ministry responded that the EU is not a party involved in the South China Sea issue. "It should be discreet with its words and actions, pay real respect to international law and respect efforts invested by countries in the region to maintain peace and stability," the ministry's Spokesperson Office said in a written interview with China Daily.
- Endangered elephants relocated by crane in Africa
- THAAD news met by DPRK missile launches
- DPRK top leader guides ballistic rocket test-firing
- Turkey's failed coup to further consolidate Erdogan's power
- Boris Johnson says UK not abandoning leading role in Europe
- Armed man attacked passengers on a train in Germany
- Heavy rain, floods across China
- Super-sized class has 3,500 students for postgraduate exam
- Luoyang university gets cartoon manhole covers
- Top 10 largest consumer goods companies worldwide
- Taiwan bus fire: Tour turns into sad tragedy
- Athletes ready to shine anew in Rio Olympics
- Jet ski or water parasailing, which will you choose?
- Icebreaker Xuelong arrives at North Pacific Ocean
Most Viewed
Editor's Picks
Anti-graft campaign targets poverty relief |
Cherry blossom signal arrival of spring |
In pictures: Destroying fake and shoddy products |
China's southernmost city to plant 500,000 trees |
Cavers make rare finds in Guangxi expedition |
Cutting hair for Longtaitou Festival |
Today's Top News
Ministry slams US-Korean THAAD deployment
Two police officers shot at protest in Dallas
Abe's blame game reveals his policies failing to get results
Ending wildlife trafficking must be policy priority in Asia
Effects of supply-side reform take time to be seen
Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi to meet Kerry
Chinese stocks surge on back of MSCI rumors
Liang avoids jail in shooting death
US Weekly
Geared to go |
The place to be |