The proposal, put forth by
President Ma Ying-jeou on Sunday, came after Japanese Defence Minister Satoshi
Morimoto warned Tokyo could send troops to the island chain, known as Senkaku
in Japan, Diaoyu in China and Diaoyutai in Taiwan.
"The recent rise of tensions
due to the Diaoyutai dispute has the potential to jeopardise peace and
stability in East Asia," Ma said as Taiwan marked the anniversary of a
peace treaty signed between Japan and then Kuomintang government led by Chiang
Kai-shek following Japan's defeat at the end of World War II.
"Peace and prosperity in the
region have not come easily, and the Republic of China never again wants to see
a catastrophe such as the Second Sino-Japanese War happen here," he said,
using Taiwan's official name.
The Kuomintang government fled
the mainland to Taiwan in 1949 at the end of a civil war, and now Taiwan also
claims the islands and local activists have tried to sail to the disputed area
to press Taipei's claim.
Last month, coastguard vessels
from Taiwan and Japan "bumped into" each other in waters near the
disputed island chain, as the Taiwanese vessel was escorting activists to the
area.
While renewing Taiwan's
territorial claim, Ma urged all parties to exercise self-restraint, shelve
controversies and use peaceful means to solve the long-standing dispute.
"Reaching a consensus on a
code of conduct in the East China Sea, and on establishing a mechanism for
cooperation on exploring and developing resources in the East China Sea, would
help ensure peace in this region," he said.
Tensions between Beijing and
Tokyo rose last month after Chinese vessels twice entered waters near the
resource-rich islands.
Japan lodged two formal
complaints with Beijing and summoned the Chinese ambassador in protest.
The uninhabited outcrops were the
scene of a particularly nasty spat in late 2010 when Japan arrested a Chinese
trawlerman who had rammed two of its coastguard vessels.
Tensions spiked in April after
controversial Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara called for Tokyo to buy the
islands from their Japanese owner.
Japan's prime minister has said
the central government was also considering buying the island chain, sparking
an angry response from Beijing.
- AFP/ck
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