Taipei, May 9 (CNA) Taiwan reaffirmed Saturday its sovereignty over several island groups in the South China Sea in the wake of recent bids by Malaysia and Vietnam to extend the outer limits of their continental shelves to include the disputed region.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said the Republic of China has "unquestionable" sovereignty over the Spratly Islands, the Paracel Islands, the Maccelesfield Bank and the Pratas Islands and their surrounding waters, from the perspective of history, geography and international law.

"The ROC is entitled to all due rights in these four island groups and their waters, seabed and subsoil. The ROC government does not recognize any claims over or occupation of the islands by any country for any reason," the MOFA said.

The ministry urged Malaysia and Vietnam to seek a peaceful resolution to the dispute through negotiations and dialogue with concerned governments, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, as well as the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea signed between the People's Republic of China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 2002.

The region, which is rich in oil deposits and marine biodiversity, is claimed either entirely or in part by Taiwan, China, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines.

On Wednesday, Malaysia and Vietnam jointly submitted an application to the United Nations to have their continental margins extended beyond 200 nautical miles to cover some of the region in dispute, followed by a separate application submitted by Vietnam the following day.

The moves came one week before the May 13 deadline set by the United Nations for countries to submit claims for the legal extension of their continental shelves.

The U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea allows countries to seek to extend their right to exploit natural resources from 200 nautical miles to 350 nautical miles off their coasts if they can provide scientific proof of the natural extension of their terrestrial land into the sea.

Also asserting its sovereignty over the region, the PRC's Foreign Ministry on Friday described the claims by Malaysia and Vietnam as "illegal" and "invalid" and urged the United Nations not to review their submissions.

Beijing was referring to the rules of procedure of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, which states that "in cases where a land or maritime dispute exists, the commission shall not consider and qualify a submission made by any of the states concerned in the dispute." (By Y.F. Low)



