Taiwan reaffirms sovereignty over Diaoyutai Islands

Taipei--Taiwan on Saturday reaffirmed its sovereignty over the disputed Diaoyutai Islands in the East China Sea and called for related parties to shelve their differences and jointly develop the islands.

"The Diaoyutai Islands are part of our territory. This is the long-standing stance of the government and our position has not changed," said Presidential Office spokesman Alex Huang (???).

Huang's remarks came after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Saturday morning Taipei time.

Abe noted he and Trump had affirmed that Article 5 of the U.S-Japan security treaty covers the disputed islands, known as the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China.

The uninhabited Diaoyutais, about 100 nautical miles northeast of Taiwan, have been under Japanese administrative control since 1972, but are also claimed by Taiwan and China.

Huang said the government called on related parties to shelve differences and jointly develop the islands, to resolve disputes in a peaceful way and to safeguard the peace and stability of the region.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel