The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) has sent two ships to the East China Sea to protect Taiwanese fishing boats working in the region which Taiwan, China and Japan all claim to be part of their exclusive economic zones.
The two ships, including a 1,800-tonne cutter and a 500-tonne patrol vessel, left for the East China Sea at 8:30am on Saturday, from Keelung, the CGA said.
They are to stay near the Taiwanese fishing boats till today, when they will be relieved by another two ships which will carry out the same mission for a further three days.
It is the first time that the CGA has sent two ships on a fishery protection mission in the East China Sea. The CGA has previously only ever sent one ship on such missions.
The CGA declined to confirm whether the move was intended as a message to Japan about its recent unfriendliness toward Taiwanese fishing boats working in the East China Sea.
Early last week, Japan's maritime authorities used force to drive several Taiwan fishing boats away from the area.
When the government failed to make an immediate response it was strongly criticized by opposition parties.
The CGA then decided on Friday to send two ships to the East China Sea to handle the fishery dispute in the area.
The two ships sent for the missions include the 1,800-tonne Hehsing cutter and 500-tonne Keelung patrol vessel.
The navy also sent a Knox-class frigate to the region to provide assistance to the CGA ships if necessary. The frigate is the No. 935 Lanyang based in Suao.
The navy said the frigate's deployment was not part of the fishery protection task but was a routine cruise in seas north of the island.
A spokesman for the CGA said the fishery protection missions are important but should not be highlighted too much.
"The fishery dispute in the East China Sea is best solved through diplomatic means. The government has started talks with Japan on the issue but no agreement has been signed between two sides," the spokesman said.
"Our fishermen have the same right as their Japanese counterparts to catch fish in the East China Sea since the region is claimed by both countries as their economic zone," he said.
"What makes things complicated is that China also has the same claim. It has signed an agreement with Japan several years ago on how to share fishery resources in the area," he said. "Missing from the picture is Taiwan."
According to UN regulations, a coastal country like Taiwan can claim a 200-nautical mile (370km) exclusive economic zone.
The economic zone claimed by Taiwan stretches to 29 degrees north latitude at its northern-most point, overlapping with parts of the East China Sea which are also claimed by China and Japan as their economic zones.
No disputes have been recorded between China and Japan over fishing in the area since the two countries signed an agreement on the sharing of fishery resources in the overlapping parts of their economic zones.
An official with the CGA, who declined to be identified, said the government hopes to improve the situation as soon as possible.
"Talks with Japan over the issue have been proceeding for several years. Though no results have been seen as of yet, we have great hopes for developments in the situation," the official said.
The CGA has as one of its primary missions the protection of fishery resources in territorial waters.
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