Minister asserts Taiwan’s claims in South China Sea

PEACEFUL FIX: Although Taiwan has legitimate claims to islands in the area, it believes disputes should not be resolved with force, foreign minister Lin Chia-lung said Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) yesterday reaffirmed Taiwan’s claims in the South China Sea amid tensions between China and the Philippines in the disputed waters, but said Taipei was not actively asserting those claims.Lin made the comments at a legislative committee meeting on the nation’s South China Sea policy, held in conjunction with the 10th anniversary of Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling on the sea.Four principles are tied to those claims: resolving disputes peacefully in line with international law, including Taiwan in multilateral dispute-resolution mechanisms, upholding freedom of navigation a