The government is to hold talks with Japan by the end of this month on fishery disputes in the East China Sea, the Taipei Times has learned.
The talks will mark a breakthrough in the government's efforts to solve fishery disputes in the East China Sea, in an area that is claimed by Taiwan, Japan and China.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Council of Agriculture will represent the government in the talks. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) will also participate, but only in a secondary role.
A government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said yesterday that while it was good that Japan had agreed to discuss the disputes, not much should be expected from the talks.
"The fishery disputes are not just about claims of exclusive economic zones in the East China Sea. They are also about diplomatic recognition, the Constitution and the government's fishery policy," the official said.
"The issue is very complicated. We do not expect it to be resolved any time soon. But the upcoming talks with Japan are still to be applauded," he said.
The location of the talks has yet to be determined.
The government has been trying to hold talks with Japan for quite some time on disputed fishing grounds, but it didn't make a big move on the issue until several Taiwanese fishing boats were chased away from the East China Sea by Japan's maritime authorities last month.
On Feb. 16, the Coast Guard Administration sent two ships to the East China Sea to protecting Taiwanese fishermen in the area. The navy also dispatched a Knox-class frigate to the region to provide back-up assistance.
The deployment was the strongest action taken so far by the government over issues related to the East China Sea.
Since Feb. 16, the coast guard and navy have maintained a three-ship patrol of the East China Sea south of the latitude 29 degrees north. The patrol duties have been a burden for the CGA because it does not have many ships to begin with and most of them are smaller than 1,000 tonnes and so are unstable in rough seas. The navy has more, and bigger, ships that can better withstand open-seas conditions.
However, the CGA has taken the leading role in the patrol missions to avoid escalating the dispute with Japan into an international incident, as could happen if the navy became deeply involved.
A senior CGA official said the agency hopes to acquire bigger ships in order to be better prepared for longer-range patrols.
"The patrols in the East China Sea are quite smooth. Our presence in the region protects our fishermen from unnecessary harassment. Our patrols have reached as far as 29 degrees north. That is the farthest distance that Japan can accept," the official said.
"It is our duty to protect fishermen but we would also like to remind them not to go beyond the line. Some fishermen do habitually cross the 29 degrees line," he said.
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