The government of the Republic of China (ROC, Taiwan) has recently ado
pted a policy on the South China Sea, the main purpose of which is to
consolidate the ROC's territorial claims in the area. While welcoming
the adoption of the new policy on an issue long ignored by the ROC gov
ernment, the author highlights certain problems. First, the main compo
nents of the policy are outlined, including its organizational arrange
ments, Second, problematic areas are examined, including the introduct
ion of the 'historic waters' argument. Third, suggestions are made for
the improvement of the policy in the hope that the ROC government wil
l produce an amended document embodying a more practicable policy.