Taiwan’s South China Sea Peace Initiative: The Proposal, Its Implementation, and Challenges Ahead

• In Event: Great Power Rivalry: Challenges and Adaptive Strategies in the Asia-Pacific

Abstract

In August 2012, President Ma Ying-jeou of the Republic of China (ROC or Taiwan) proposed the East China Sea Peace Initiative (ECSPI), which has been successful in yielding positive results, such as the landmark fisheries agreement signed between Taiwan and Japan in April 2013. In May 2015, a similar initiative was announced by President Ma for the South China Sea (SCS), which calls on all parties to the dispute to shelve the sovereignty issue, exercise restraint, adopt a code of conduct and jointly develop resources. At a time when tensions in the SCS are rising, this peace initiative should be welcomed. The U.S. Department of State publicly expressed support of Taiwan’s initiative on the same day when the initiative was announced by President Ma. In September 2015, President Ma ordered government agencies to formulate a roadmap for the South China Sea Peace Initiative (SCSPI). Efforts have also been made by the ROC government for the conclusion of a fisheries agreement on maritime law enforcement between Taiwan and the Philippines. As President Ma is to leave office in May 2016 and with a possible change of government in Taiwan if the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen wins the 2016 election, changes lie ahead for a continuing implementation of Taiwan’s SCSPI. The purpose of this paper is to examine this peace initiative, its implementation, and challenges ahead.

Author

• Yann-huei Song, Academia Sinica