Taipei, Sept. 1 (CNA) President Ma Ying-jeou said Monday that the Republic of China plays a “very important role” in the South China Sea and “will not be absent” from any future international negotiations regarding the territorial disputes there.

The ROC government has had sovereignty over the islands of the disputed South China Sea for a long time, during which no other countries disputing its claims, Ma asserted while making an address at the opening of an exhibition on historical archives relating to the islands that make up the country’s “southern territories.”

In recent years, the government has conducted a series of peaceful, non-military activities in the region to show the international community its intense efforts to manage these islands and play a major role, he said.

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