Unhappy with a comment by the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) No. 2 official that Japan had administrative authority over the contested Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台), the legislature’s Internal Administration Committee yesterday said it would make an inspection tour of the islands before reviewing the CGA budget for next year.
“The Diaoyutai Islands are Taiwanese territory. How could one say that Japan [has administrative authority] just because the US handed them to Japan?” Non-Partisan Solidarity Union Legislator May Chin (高金素梅), who is also co-chairwoman of the committee, asked CGA Deputy Director-General Wang Chung-yi (王崇儀) at a committee meeting.
“Are the islands still Japanese colonies?” she asked.
Wang told a Foreign and National Defense Committee meeting last week that while the Republic of China has sovereignty over the islands, administrative power rested with Japan.
In response yesterday, Wang said his remark stemmed from the position taken by Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Yang (楊進添), who said during last week’s meeting that Japan had administrative power over the Diaoyutais since they were included in the joint security treaty between the US and Japan.
The islands — located about 180km northeast of Keelung — are claimed by Taiwan, Japan and China, but are under de facto Japanese control.
“I was merely echoing what the foreign minister said,” Wang said.
However, Wang’s explanation did not seem to satisfy Chin and many other lawmakers.
Chin said the committee would make an inspection tour of the islands on Nov. 4 before reviewing the budget for the CGA’s Maritime Patrol Directorate-General.
“Patrolling the Diaoyutai Islands is part of the directorate-general’s job, hence we should inspect their work before reviewing its budget for next year,” Chin said, adding that the media would be invited to come on the visit.
“Legislators are responsible for ensuring that each government agency has enough money to do what it’s supposed to do and whether a government agency is doing its job,” she said.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators Wu Yu-sheng (吳育昇), Kung Wen-chi (孔文吉) and Chi Kuo-tung (紀國棟) immediately expressed their support.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chen Ming-wen (陳明文) also supported the plan.
“If we could not at least circle around the island [by boat] along its coast, the mission to manifest sovereignty would be a failure,” Chen said.
The committee is scheduled to call together representatives from the CGA, the National Airborne Service Corps and the navy to discuss the plan in detail today.
Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) said he hoped that if the tour did take place, the envoys would not cross the demarcation line delineating Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), as it could lead to “unnecessary disputes.”
Japan’s EEZ includes the Diaoyutais.
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