DPP's position on Diaoyutai sovereignty
At a Sept 27th session with Japanese media, DPP Chair Tsai Ing-wen stated that the DPP’s position
on Diaoyutai sovereignty is clear and stands by the principles highlighted in the 1996 Executive
Yuan subcommittee, namely:
(1) Taiwan has sovereignty over the Diaoyutai Islands;
(2) Taiwan will carry out diplomatic relations with Japan in a peaceful and rational manner;
(3) Taiwan will not consider cooperation with China in order to avoid the problem of ambiguous
sovereignty; and
(4) Taiwan will give priority to safeguarding the rights and interests of fishermen in any negotiations.
Chair Tsai emphasized that this policy remains unchanged ever since the KMT administration
took power two years ago. However, she stressed that the KMT’s handling of the recent incidents in
the Diaoyutai Islands have been unclear.
“There are some areas that we believe the issue of sovereignty needs to be clearly expressed
by the KMT,” she said.
We believe that the US-Japan alliance is the cornerstone of security in the Asia Pacific,” Tsai
Ing-wen declared. “We support this alliance’s continued role as a stabilizing force, but we also
believe that Taiwan must fulfill the role of a loyal ally.”
Chair Tsai said that during the past administration, the DPP placed a strong focus on deepening
relations with Japan, forging closer ties between Taiwan and Japan. She also emphasized that even
now as an opposition party, the DPP still attaches great importance to this relationship.
Due to the issue of a rising China and the influence it brings in political, economic and security affairs, Chair Tsai said that both Taiwan and Japan must confront this phenomenon.
