The Ministry of National Defense yesterday said it had no intention of getting involved in the fishing dispute with Japan, in response to a demand by People First Party Legislator Lin Yu-fang (林郁方) that Taiwan send warships to protect its fishing boats in the disputed waters near the Diaoyutais.
"I asked the ministry to put legislators on board Knox-class frigates to sail to the disputed waters on Friday. If the navy refuses to send warships, I will boycott the special arms budget and also try to cut the ministry's annual budget," the PFP lawmaker said at a press conference yesterday. The PFP has long been opposed to the special NT$480 billion (US$15.3 billion) arms procurement plan.
"I asked the ministry to take a hardline approach when handling fishing disputes with [Japan]. The warships should sail to the overlapping economic waters and assert Taiwan's sovereignty," Lin added.
However, the ministry said it currently had no plans to send the navy to patrol the disputed waters northeast of Taiwan. Fishing patrol duties are traditionally the responsibility of the coast guard.
"The annual `Han Kuang' (漢光) military exercises are taking place. Most naval forces are attending the drills. The ministry is unable to send warships to the disputed waters," ministry spokesman Rear Admiral Liou Chih-chien (劉志堅) said at a press conference in response to the legislator.
"The ministry routinely has three warships patrolling the waters around Taiwan, including the waters northeast of Taiwan. The area they patrol is from 20 to 60 nautical miles (37km to 111km) off Taiwan's coast, not -- as Legislator Lin claimed -- a mere 24 nautical miles from the coast," Liou added.
"According to the law, the coast guard plays the lead role in protecting fishermen, and the navy plays a supporting role," he added.
Rear Admiral Lee Hao (
He also said that three Jin Chiang-class patrol craft stationed in Keelung on that day were also capable of swiftly rescuing the fishing boats.
"If the coast guard had asked the navy to support its mission, the navy would have quickly sent warships," Lee added. "But because there were no Japanese warships in sight, and the coast guard did not ask the navy to rescue the fishing boats, the navy just observed the situation," Lee added.
Lin yesterday said the waters he asked the navy to sail to were areas routinely patrolled by the coast guard, navy and air force, so the ministry would not cause an international incident by deploying warships there.
He said that if Japanese aircraft or vessels took provocative action in the disputed waters, the navy should be prepared to respond.
Taiwanese fishermen said Japanese patrol boats had recently driven them away from the waters between the northeastern coast of Taiwan and Okinawa.
About 40 fishing boats from Taiwan sailed north on Thursday to challenge Japan's claim over the fishing grounds surrounding the disputed Diaoyutai group in the East China Sea.
The fishermen also attacked the coast guard for failing to protect Taiwan's fishing boats.
Taiwan and Japan have scheduled talks over the fishing dispute for next month.
CALL FOR SUPPORT: President William Lai called on lawmakers across party lines to ensure the livelihood of Taiwanese and that national security is protected President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for bipartisan support for Taiwan’s investment in self-defense capabilities at the christening and launch of two coast guard vessels at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard in Kaohsiung. The Taipei (台北) is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels, and the Siraya (西拉雅) is the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) first-ever ocean patrol vessel, the government said. The Taipei is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels with a displacement of about 4,000 tonnes, Lai said. This ship class was ordered as a result of former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) 2018
UKRAINE, NVIDIA: The US leader said the subject of Russia’s war had come up ‘very strongly,’ while Jenson Huang was hoping that the conversation was good Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and US President Donald Trump had differing takes following their meeting in Busan, South Korea, yesterday. Xi said that the two sides should complete follow-up work as soon as possible to deliver tangible results that would provide “peace of mind” to China, the US and the rest of the world, while Trump hailed the “great success” of the talks. The two discussed trade, including a deal to reduce tariffs slapped on China for its role in the fentanyl trade, as well as cooperation in ending the war in Ukraine, among other issues, but they did not mention
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi yesterday lavished US President Donald Trump with praise and vows of a “golden age” of ties on his visit to Tokyo, before inking a deal with Washington aimed at securing critical minerals. Takaichi — Japan’s first female prime minister — pulled out all the stops for Trump in her opening test on the international stage and even announced that she would nominate him for a Nobel Peace Prize, the White House said. Trump has become increasingly focused on the Nobel since his return to power in January and claims to have ended several conflicts around the world,
GLOBAL PROJECT: Underseas cables ‘are the nervous system of democratic connectivity,’ which is under stress, Member of the European Parliament Rihards Kols said The government yesterday launched an initiative to promote global cooperation on improved security of undersea cables, following reported disruptions of such cables near Taiwan and around the world. The Management Initiative on International Undersea Cables aims to “bring together stakeholders, align standards, promote best practices and turn shared concerns into beneficial cooperation,” Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said at a seminar in Taipei. The project would be known as “RISK,” an acronym for risk mitigation, information sharing, systemic reform and knowledge building, he said at the seminar, titled “Taiwan-Europe Subsea Cable Security Cooperation Forum.” Taiwan sits at a vital junction on
RSS