The government has reached an agreement with Japan over disputed fishing grounds near the Tiaoyutai Islands but further negotiations will be needed to map out a co-managed fishery zone, officials said yesterday.
"We haven't reached any conclusion on joint cooperation," said Cabinet Spokesman Lin Chia-lung (
However, they did agree to shelve their disputes for the time being in the area between latitudes 27?N and 29?N, meaning that the Japanese navy and coastguard will no longer harass Taiwanese fishing boats there.
Fishing disputes between Taipei and Tokyo erupted earlier this year when Japan expelled Taiwanese fishing boats from what Tokyo called its exclusive economic zone in the East China Sea and Yellow Sea with water and paint cannon.
Japan issued a warning on Feb. 1 against foreign fishermen working in those waters, a statement not recognized by Taiwan.
The disputed area is near the Tiaoyutai Islands, 150km northeast of Taiwan in the East China Sea.
The islets are surrounded by rich fishing waters and have been regarded by the government as within the jurisdiction of Ilan County.
The fishing zone, however, lies in an area which Taiwan, Japan and China each claim is within their 200-nautical mile (370km) exclusive economic zones.
The agreement reached so far came after two days of negotiations in Tokyo recently, in which Lin said both sides promised to avoid direct clashes over the fishing grounds.
James Sha (沙志一), deputy director-general of the Fisheries Administration under the Council of Agriculture, said both sides shared a willingness to map out an area where joint management is possible.
"The solution is to work out an area in the disputed zone where both sides can manage the natural resources with the idea of sustainable development in mind," Sha said.
But the two sides have not agreed on the exact scale of the co-management fishing zone, Sha said.
A foreign ministry official said another round of negotiations would be held before the end of the year, although the exact details of the talks have not been agreed.
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which took effect in 1994, states that each coastal nation has jurisdiction over resources, research and environmental protection for up to 200 nautical miles from its coast.
Because Taiwan is not a member of the UN, the government unilaterally announced its exclusive economic zone in 1998.
A fishery pact sealed between Japan and China according to the UN convention went into effect in June 2001. The agreement created a temporary co-management fishery zone, which is where Taiwanese vessels have been expelled from several times recently, the officials said.
Also see stories:
PFP critics blame government for troubled waters
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said
REGIONAL STABILITY: Taipei thanked the Biden administration for authorizing its 16th sale of military goods and services to uphold Taiwan’s defense and safety The US Department of State has approved the sale of US$228 million of military goods and services to Taiwan, the US Department of Defense said on Monday. The state department “made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale” to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US for “return, repair and reshipment of spare parts and related equipment,” the defense department’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a news release. Taiwan had requested the purchase of items and services which include the “return, repair and reshipment of classified and unclassified spare parts for aircraft and related equipment; US Government
More than 500 people on Saturday marched in New York in support of Taiwan’s entry to the UN, significantly more people than previous years. The march, coinciding with the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly, comes close on the heels of growing international discourse regarding the meaning of UN Resolution 2758. Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China.” It resulted in the Republic of China (ROC) losing its seat at the UN to the PRC. Taiwan has since been excluded from