內政部長陳威仁與海巡署長王崇儀，於今(12)日邀集交通部、科技部、經濟部、衛福部與環保署等相關部會官員，搭機前往南沙太平島，主持交通基礎設施碼頭及燈塔的完工啟用典禮。陳威仁表示，內政部是國家疆域主管部會，非常榮幸能夠親臨見證這場具有歷史意義的活動，並代表政府對於兩年多來所有參與執行這項工程的海巡署及交通部同仁，以及工程界的朋友，致上最誠摯的謝意！同時也對於早年致力維護我國海疆權益之前輩先進，以及長年駐守太平島的海巡弟兄們，表達由衷的敬意與謝意。
近年來，南海地區爭議不斷，相關各方透過各種手段主張南海島礁主權與海洋權益，更由於近年菲律賓南海仲裁案的發展，使得南海情勢成為國際關注的焦點。對於各項南海爭議，行政院及外交部已多次發表聲明表示：無論就歷史、地理及國際法而言，南沙群島、西沙群島、中沙群島、東沙群島及其周遭海域均屬中華民國固有領土及海域，中華民國對該四群島及其海域享有國際法上之權利。為了尋求和平解決南海爭端的機制，馬英九總統特於本年5月26日提出「南海和平倡議」，表達我國一向秉持「主權在我、擱置爭議、和平互惠、共同開發」的基本原則，尊重包括《聯合國憲章》及《聯合國海洋法公約》在內之國際法，願在平等互惠之協商基礎上，與相關當事方共同促進南海區域之和平與穩定，共同維護航行及飛越自由並保護及開發南海資源。
陳威仁指出，太平島是南沙群島中面積最大的自然生成島嶼。島上蘊含豐富的自然資源，並有出產地下水之水井，經行政院環保署許可之檢測機構檢測結果，現有4口水井之淡水含量分別為99.1%、75.8%、97.5%、96.8%，平均淡水含量達92.3%，經陳部長與在場官員當場取水試飲，水質非常良好。每日總取水量可達65公噸，除可供飲用外，亦提供廚房炊事及生活用水使用；此外，島上原生的天然植被茂盛，並出產椰子、木瓜及芭蕉等。長久以來，駐守人員善加利用島上各種資源，並種植蔬果及豢養家禽家畜，足應生活所需。今日午餐所食用之雞肉、絲瓜封、山苦瓜、椰子水、芭蕉…等，均來自島上原生、弟兄種植及豢養。而為滿足其信仰需求，當地駐守人員於民國48年興建觀音堂，奉祀觀世音菩薩。因此，無論自法律、經濟及地理之角度而言，太平島不僅符合《聯合國海洋法公約》第121條關於島嶼之要件，並能「維持人類居住及其本身經濟生活」，絕非岩礁。我政府堅決捍衛太平島為一島嶼的事實，認為近年菲律賓仲裁案中該國代表於庭審中之相關言論，並企圖對此加以否定之任何主張，都無法減損太平島之島嶼地位，以及其得依《聯合國海洋法公約》所享有之海洋權利。
陳威仁進一步說明，近年來我國政府在太平島的各項經營管理，逐步將太平島打造成為和平島、生態島及低碳島，在在都符合前述「南海和平倡議」的精神。首先，民國89年1月我國成立海巡署，太平島的守備任務由海軍陸戰隊轉由海巡人員接管，這代表我國向國際社會宣示太平島為和平用途的決心。海巡署接管後，在衛生福利部的協助下，強化現有南沙醫院的醫療救護能量，目前有病床10床，配有2名醫師、1名牙醫師及2名護理師駐島，南沙醫院也已經與國軍高雄總醫院建立視訊連線系統，可進行遠距離醫療諮詢，提供駐島官兵及附近海域作業之各國漁民所需的醫療服務。如有緊急重症醫療，則以船艦後送治療。另外，也可以提供航經船隻人員緊急之國際醫療與救援服務。10餘年來，已實施人道救援20案，計21人次，其中包含菲律賓籍、緬甸籍共12人，充分發揮人道關懷的普世價值。
今日完工啟用的燈塔，也是為了和平用途而建。由於南海是亞、歐、非三洲的國際交通要道，區域內沒入水中的暗礁，星羅棋布。為確保船舶航行安全，避免發生船難，造成人命傷亡及海洋汙染，我國此次於太平島上新建燈塔，除了有利於物資的運補外，就是為了能善盡國際義務，大幅提升人道援助的功能。
陳威仁也提到，太平島同時也是生態島。由於太平島擁有極為豐富的海洋生物多樣性與漁業資源，為了保育這些重要的自然資產，高雄市政府在民國96年公告劃定太平島海龜保育區；內政部自民國98年開始進行太平島生物多樣性調查研究，去年並公布生態調查結果，彰顯政府保護南海海洋環境的決心。
此外，經濟部已於民國103年底在太平島設置160kWp之太陽能光電系統，經搭配蓄電儲能設施後，太陽能供電每年已可達20萬度，每年可減少排碳量大約107公噸。未來將在科技部的協助下，提升系統運作效能，增加供電量。因此，太平島已朝向低碳島的目標邁進，未來亦將就鄰近之南海海域資源進一步調查研究，作為與鄰近地區國家共同開發的參考。
另外，為了促進南海地區的國際合作，環保署自民國98年起執行太平島環境水質監測，開設東沙島背景監測站，加入美國航空及太空總署(NASA)全球氣膠監測網(AERONET)。翌年，與美國海洋與大氣總署(NOAA)合作監測溫室氣體，推動跨國聯合觀測，已在區域監測扮演重要角色。由於太平島位於南海中心，重要性不言而喻，環保署將在太平島持續現有環境監測，並逐步增加海域水質採樣頻率，也將參考東沙島模式，逐步展現太平島在環境保護科學研究的功能。科技部亦將評估在太平島上設置科學研究站，規劃地震、氣象、洋流與生態保育等相關研究計畫，對於全球氣候變遷可能造成頻繁的天然災害，提供必要的預警系統與資訊分享機制，進而促成以防災減災為目標之國際合作機制。
最後，陳威仁表示，今日適逢我國民國35年收復南沙太平島69周年紀念，選定這個紀念日正式啟用太平島的碼頭及燈塔，除了具有歷史傳承的意義，也是重要的里程碑。我國希望藉由將太平島打造成「和平島」、「生態島」及「低碳島」的實際建設，具體落實「南海和平倡議」，並向國際社會宣示，中華民國願意扮演「和平締造者」角色，以「擱置主權爭議，共同開發資源」的方式處理南海爭端，讓南海真正成為「和平與合作之海」。
ROC Minister of the Interior Chen Wei-zen presides over a ceremony marking the opening of a wharf and lighthouse on Taiping Island
ROC Minister of the Interior Chen Wei-zen presides over a ceremony marking the opening of a wharf and lighthouse on Taiping Island, demonstrating the ROC’s commitment to making Taiping Island a peaceful and low-carbon island, as well as an ecological reserve, in accordance with the spirit of the South China Sea Peace Initiative
On December 12, 2015, Minister of the Interior Chen Wei-zen and Minister of the Coast Guard Administration Wang Chung-yi, together with officials from the Ministries of Transportation and Communications, Science and Technology, Economic Affairs, and Health and Welfare, as well as the Environmental Protection Administration, flew to Taiping Island in the Nansha (Spratly) Islands to preside over a ceremony marking the completion of the Taiping Island Transportation Infrastructure Project, which involved the renovation of the island’s wharf and lighthouse. Minister Chen stated that, as head of the ministry responsible for administration of the nation’s territory, he was honored to personally witness this historic event. On behalf of the Republic of China government, he expressed gratitude to staff of the CGA and MOTC, as well as construction workers, for their efforts over the past two years, and extended his sincere appreciation to past officials for having spared no effort to safeguard the ROC’s territorial and maritime interests, and to the CGA personnel who have long defended the island.
In recent years, tensions have been high in the South China Sea. Parties concerned have claimed sovereignty and maritime rights over islands and reefs in the region in a variety of ways. In particular, the development of the ongoing Philippine arbitration has made the situation the focus of great international concern. With regard to disputes in the South China Sea, the Executive Yuan and Ministry of Foreign Affairs have released numerous statements declaring that, whether from the perspective of history, geography, or international law, the Nansha (Spratly) Islands, Shisha (Paracel) Islands, Chungsha Islands (Macclesfield Bank), and Tungsha (Pratas) Islands, as well as their surrounding waters, are an inherent part of ROC territory and waters, and that the ROC enjoys all rights over these islands and their surrounding waters in accordance with international law.
To create a mechanism for the peaceful settlement of disputes, President Ma Ying-jeou proposed the South China Sea Peace Initiative on May 26 this year. This initiative reiterates the ROC government’s longstanding principles of safeguarding sovereignty, shelving disputes, pursuing peace and reciprocity, and promoting joint development. In addition, based on respect for all relevant international laws and regulations, including the United Nations Charter and UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), it expresses the ROC’s willingness to work with other parties concerned, through consultations conducted on a basis of equality and reciprocity, to jointly ensure peace and stability in the South China Sea, uphold the freedom of navigation and overflight, and conserve and develop resources in the region.
Minister Chen pointed out that Taiping Island is the largest of the naturally formed Nansha Islands, with an abundance of natural resources and groundwater wells. Results from water quality tests conducted by an institution authorized by the Executive Yuan’s Environmental Protection Administration show that the proportion of freshwater in four of the existing wells is 99.1, 75.8, 97.5, and 96.8 percent, respectively, averaging 92.3 percent. Minister Chen and other officials tasted water directly from one of the wells, and remarked on its high quality. About 65 metric tons of water can be pumped from these wells daily to provide drinking water and meet cooking and everyday needs. Natural vegetation flourishes on the island, providing coconuts, papayas, and plantains. For years, personnel stationed on the island have made use of its various resources, growing fruits and vegetables, and raising poultry and livestock to meet their daily needs. Lunch December 12 consisted of chicken, loofah gourd, bitter melon, coconut water, plantains, and other food either growing naturally on the island or raised by personnel stationed there. To meet religious needs, a Guanyin Temple was built in 1959, where the Bodhisattva of Compassion is worshipped. From legal, economic, and geographic perspectives, Taiping Island indisputably qualifies as an “island” according to the specifications of Article 121 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and can sustain human habitation and economic life of its own. It is thus categorically not a “rock.” The ROC government will firmly defend this fact, and maintains that none of the Philippines’ arguments in its ongoing arbitration, nor any other claims which aim to deny it, will impair the status of Taiping Island and its maritime rights based on UNCLOS.
Minister Chen said management efforts made by the ROC government in recent years are aimed at gradually transforming Taiping Island into a peaceful and low-carbon island, as well as an ecological reserve, in the spirit of the South China Sea Peace Initiative. The ROC Coast Guard Administration was established in January 2000 and its personnel then replaced marines on the island. This was, in effect, an ROC declaration to the international community of its determination to use Taiping for peaceful purposes. After the CGA took over administration of the island, medical services were increased at the Nansha Hospital with assistance from the Ministry of Health and Welfare. The hospital now has 10 beds, two doctors, a dentist, and two nurses. A telemedicine service system has been set up with Kaohsiung Armed Forces General Hospital for long-distance consultation so as to provide medical care to personnel stationed on the island as well as fishermen from different countries operating in neighboring waters. In case of emergency or severe illness, the hospital will have a vessel transport patients to Taiwan for treatment. It also provides emergency medical care and rescue services to passing vessels and crews. Over the past decade, it has offered humanitarian assistance to 21 people in 20 cases, including Philippine and Myanmar nationals, fully demonstrating its dedication to humanitarianism.
The ROC’s aims in renovating this lighthouse, which goes into use today, are also peaceful. The South China Sea is a crucial thoroughfare for ships passing between Asia, Europe, and Africa, but replete with shoals and submerged rocks. The lighthouse on Taiping Island will help the ROC fulfill its international responsibilities by allowing the safe passage of ships through the surrounding waters, preventing shipwrecks, loss of life, and marine pollution, and contributing to the safe seaborne transport of goods and the provision of humanitarian aid.
Taiping Island is a very important place ecologically, with extremely rich marine biodiversity and fisheries resources, Minister Chen said. To protect these natural resources, the Kaohsiung City government established a turtle refuge on Taiping Island in 2007, while the Ministry of the Interior began a survey on biological diversity on Taiping Island in 2009, the results of which were made public when it was completed last year. These efforts show the ROC government’s determination to protect the marine environment of the South China Sea.
At the end of 2014, the Ministry of Economic Affairs set up solar panel banks with output of 160 kWp. Paired with storage batteries, the system can provide up to 200,000 kWh of power annually, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 107 metric tons. With the assistance of the Ministry of Science and Technology, the system’s efficiency and output will be enhanced in the future. As a result, Taiping Island is now on its way to reaching the goal of becoming a low-carbon island. Looking ahead, the ROC will continue surveys on the natural resources in the waters around the island as a reference for jointly developing these resources with neighboring countries.
In addition, to promote international cooperation in the South China Sea, the EPA has, since 2009, been testing water quality at Taiping Island, and has opened a background monitoring station on Tungsha Island that cooperates with the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) of the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
In 2010, the EPA cooperated with the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on monitoring greenhouse gases, attesting to the nation’s commitment to joint international monitoring as well as its important role in regional monitoring efforts. The importance of Taiping Island, located as it is in the middle of the South China Sea, cannot be overstated. The EPA will continue its current monitoring efforts, and increase the frequency of seawater sampling. The agency will adapt its Tungsha Island model for conservation science research on Taiping Island. The Ministry of Science and Technology, meanwhile, is evaluating the establishment of a scientific research station on Taiping Island for research projects in such fields as seismology, weather, oceanic currents, and ecological conservation. The station could also provide advance-warning and information-sharing systems concerning potential natural disasters resulting from climate change, as part of a future international cooperative mechanism for disaster prevention and reduction.
Minister Chen also pointed out that the occasion marked 69 years since Taiping Island was restored to the ROC in 1946. Formally dedicating the wharf and lighthouse on this historic date symbolizes connections both to the past and the future. The Republic of China hopes, through this infrastructure project, to make Taiping Island a peaceful and low-carbon island, as well as an ecological reserve, as a way of further implementing the South China Sea Peace Initiative and showing the international community the ROC’s resolve to be a peacemaker in the South China Sea by shelving disputes and jointly developing resources, to transform it into a “Sea of Peace and Cooperation.”
