President Ma Ying-jeou says the East China Sea Peace Initiative he proposed two years ago is a feasible plan to solve territorial disputes. Ma was speaking Tuesday at a forum marking the second anniversary of the proposal he introduced on August 5, 2012.
The peace initiative calls for all parties involved to exercise restraint, jointly explore resources and use peaceful means to solve maritime disputes.
Ma said Taiwan’s efforts to solve fishery disputes with Japan and the Philippines over the past two years have won recognition from the international community.
“The fisheries agreements that Taiwan signed with Japan and the Philippines and Taiwan’s resolution of two fisheries disputes with Manila have had positive results. It shows that Taiwan’s insistence on peaceful means to solve disputes, in the spirit of the East China Sea Peace Initiative, is making much progress. The peace initiative is a feasible plan,” said Ma.
To maintain regional peace and stability, Ma said the peace initiative can also be applied to the South China Sea. Tensions between China and Vietnam have been high after China planted an oil rig there.