四、外交部聲明摘錄
中華民國大陸礁層外部界限聲明
中華民國為1958年日內瓦大陸礁層公約之締約國，對於大陸礁層享有國際法之主權權利。1958年公約之原則已為1982年聯合國海洋法公約（以下簡稱《公約》）之相關條款所接納。此外，習慣國際法亦肯定沿岸國具有探勘大陸礁層和開發其自然資源之主權權利。我政府長久以來支持此一基本原則。事實上，我政府於
中華民國政府重申，無論就歷史、地理及國際法而言，釣魚臺列嶼以及南沙群島、西沙群島、中沙群島、東沙群島及其周遭水域乃中華民國固有領土及水域，其主權屬於中華民國，不容置疑。中華民國對上述島嶼及周遭水域、海床及底土享有國際法所賦予之所有權益，任何國家以任何理由或方式予以主張或佔據，在法律上均屬無效。
作為一個沿海國家，中華民國政府自2006年開始依據《公約》第76條與「大陸礁層界限委員會科學暨技術準則」之要求，已積極進行主張大陸礁層外部界限所需相關科學佐證資料之調查及準備工作。
依我政府目前調查所獲得的資料顯示，我國可以臺灣東部大陸邊外緣及向東北方沿東海大陸邊外緣作為延伸大陸礁層之依據，利用相關科學佐證資料可證明，我國在「臺灣東部海域」、「東海海域」的大陸礁層自然延伸範圍超過自領海基線起算200浬，部分與鄰國所主張之大陸礁層重疊。
我政府已召集有關法律、政策、科學與技術等專家，致力於大陸礁層外部界限劃定的準備工作，由於我國並未受邀參與《公約》之談判與簽訂，無法成為《公約》締約國，因此，我國不受《公約》締約國會議第72號決定（SPLOS/72）及第183號決定（SPLOS/183）之拘束，亦即我國對於超過200浬的延伸大陸礁層之主張，不受
《公約》第76條第10款規定，本條的規定不妨害海岸相向或相鄰國家間大陸礁層界限劃定的問題。由於我國就周邊海域與鄰國之劃界仍未產生協議，我國與鄰國間海域劃界問題之解決，將遵守國際法，依衡平原則，以協議劃定。在協議未能達成前，我政府期盼區域內相關各方基於維護區域海洋法秩序之立場，應共同維持區域和平、穩定的發展，並在「共同開發、資源共享」之原則下，務實增進區域內之良性互動關係。
聲明日期
No.
003 12 May, 2009
Declaration of the Republic of
The Republic of China (ROC), as a Contracting Party to the 1958 Geneva
Convention on the Continental Shelf, enjoys sovereign rights over its
continental shelf under international law. The principles of the 1958
Convention have been incorporated into the relevant provisions of the 1982 United
Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Moreover, customary international law also
confirms that coastal states possess sovereign rights over the exploration of
continental shelf and the development of natural resources thereof. This government has long supported such basic
tenets. As a matter of fact, this
government promulgated the Law on the Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental
Shelf of the Republic of China on 21 January 1998, in which Article 2
stipulates that the continental shelf of the Republic of China is the submerged
area that extents throughout the natural prolongation of its land territory to
the outer edge of the continental margin.
The government of the Republic of China reiterates that the Diaoyutai
Islands, Nansha Islands (Spratly Islands), Shisha Islands (Paracel Islands),
Chungsha Islands (Macclesfield Islands), and Tungsha Islands (Pratas Islands)
as well as their surrounding waters are the inherent territories and waters of
the Republic of China based on the indisputable sovereignty titles justified by
historic, geographic and international legal grounds. Under international law,
the Republic of China enjoys all the rights and interests over the foregoing
islands, as well as the surrounding waters and sea-bed and subsoil
thereof. The claims made or occupation
undertaken over them by any other state for whatever reason and by whatever
means will be void and null in the eyes of international law.
As a costal state, the Republic of China since 2006 has actively initiated
an investigation and related preparatory work for collecting the scientific
data needed to establish its claims over the outer limits of its continental
shelf in accordance with Article 76 of the UNCLOS as well as the requirements
of the Scientific and Technical Guidelines of the Commission on the Limits of
the Continental Shelf.
As indicated by the materials collected through the said investigation
undertaken by this government, the continental margin to the east of
This government has recruited
experts in the legal, policy, scientific and technical fields to complete the
preparatory work for the drawing up of the outer limits of the continental
shelf of the ROC. As this country was not invited to participate in the negotiation
and signing of the UNCLOS, it was unable to become a party state to the UNCLOS.
As a result, this government is not legally bound by the SPLOS/72 and SPLOS/183
decisions made by the contracting parties to the UNCLOS. Accordingly, the
making of claims over the extended continental shelf by this country is not
constrained by the deadline of 12 May 2009. After this date, this country shall
remain entitled to make claims on the outer limits of its extended continental
shelf beyond 200 nautical miles with respect to the waters of the East China
Sea, the Eastern Taiwan, and the
Article 76, paragraph 10 of the UNCLOS provides, “[t]he provisions of this
article are without prejudice to the question of delimitation of the
continental shelf between States with opposite or adjacent coasts.” Since this country and its neighboring
countries have not reached any agreements on the maritime delimitation of the
surrounding waters, the resolution of the issues regarding the maritime
delimitation between this country and its neighboring countries should be made
in accordance with international law and the equitable principle through the
conclusion of an agreement. Pending the conclusion of such an agreement, the
government of the Republic of China calls upon all concerned parties in the
region to assist in preserving the regional maritime legal order. Together we
should maintain regional peace and stable development and substantively promote
positive relations under the principle of “joint exploitation and
resources-sharing.”（E）