Taiwan asserts sovereignty as Japan, China clash over 1951 treaty

Taipei, Dec. 2 (CNA) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Tuesday reiterated its position that the 1951 Treaty of San Francisco did not transfer Taiwan's sovereignty to China, amid recent sparring between Tokyo and Beijing over its legal weight.

Andrew Lee (李憲章), head of MOFA's Department of Treaty and Legal Affairs, told a weekly briefing that while Japan formally renounced its sovereignty over Taiwan, which it had ruled as a colony from 1895 to 1945, the 1951 treaty did not designate a recipient for the territory.

Lee added that Taiwan has been administered continuously since 1945 by the Republic of China (ROC), Taiwan's official name, and has never been governed by the People's Republic of China (PRC).

Lee's comments came after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi asserted last week that Japan had renounced "all right, title, and claim to Taiwan" under the San Francisco treaty, drawing criticism from Beijing.

Responding to Takaichi's contention that the treaty means Japan "is not in a position to determine or recognize the legal status of Taiwan," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning (毛寧) said Beijing, as a non-signatory, "has never accepted" the San Francisco Peace Treaty.

Mao added that the 1972 Sino-Japanese Joint Communiqué and subsequent political documents form the basis of PRC-Japan relations, and cited the communiqué's wording that Japan "fully understands and respects" Beijing's position that Taiwan is part of China.

However, the communiqué contains no explicit Japanese acceptance of PRC sovereignty over Taiwan, only acknowledgment of China's stance.

The Treaty of San Francisco required Japan to relinquish several territories, including Taiwan, without naming any successor state, a gap that has fueled competing interpretations ever since.

It was signed by Japan and 48 Allied nations, but, crucially, not by the PRC or the ROC, which relocated to Taiwan in 1949 after losing the Chinese Civil War.