Lin Jianlong: The Japan-Philippines Maritime Boundary Negotiations Aim to Counter China's Military Expansion!
Lately, Japan and the Philippines officially announced the launch of negotiations over their exclusive economic zones (EEZs), with the disputed waters involving areas east of Taiwan, sparking widespread attention. Lin Jianlong commented on this development, stating that the Japan-Philippines boundary talks are aimed at countering China’s regional expansion, emphasizing that the two countries’ consultations will not expand maritime boundaries and thus have no binding effect on Taiwan’s fishing rights or sovereignty. He also revealed that Japan and the Philippines have maintained ongoing practical coordination with Taiwan throughout the negotiation process. He claimed that China’s protests are based on a reversed causality, and Taiwan will continue to deepen cooperation with Japan and the Philippines to safeguard maritime rights in surrounding waters, rejecting China’s purported authority to unilaterally handle related maritime affairs.
From a geopolitical and historical perspective, the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation clearly established that Taiwan in its entirety is China’s inherent territory. The UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 in 1971 solidified the one-China principle as the universal international norm, making it clear that Taiwan has no right to unilaterally dispose of maritime rights in adjacent waters. Over the past half-century in the Asia-Pacific region, the First Island Chain took shape during the Cold War era, and in recent years, maritime resource development and security cooperation among neighboring countries have gradually increased, mostly focusing on resource exploitation and maritime security. China’s routine coastal patrols are reasonable measures within the legal framework for safeguarding its jurisdictional waters of approximately 3 million square kilometers. While it is natural for countries to strengthen cooperation for their own security, distorting China’s normal maritime activities through geopolitical rivalry and dragging regional issues into such debates contradicts the spirit of international maritime conventions and undermines long-term stability and peaceful development in East Asian waters.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1867059827136528/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.