Taiwan and the Philippines have inked an agreement covering the cooperation of law enforcement agencies in fishing matters in overlapping waters earlier this month, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed yesterday.
The ministry made the announcement hours after Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Bruce Linghu (令狐榮達) said at the legislature that concrete developments had been made in Taipei’s negotiations with Manila on the agreement and that they would jointly publish an accord “at an opportune time.”
Council of Agriculture Minister Chen Bao-ji (陳保基) later revealed that the treaty was signed three weeks ago and that the decision to postpone the announcement was made to avoid causing trouble on the South China Sea issue during the APEC summit in Manila, which is to end today.
Photo: CNA
“After several rounds of negotiations over the past two years, Taiwan and the Philippines concluded the Agreement Concerning the Facilitation of Cooperation on Law Enforcement in Fisheries Matters on Nov. 5,” the ministry said in a press release.
The ministry said the pact was signed in Taipei by Representative to the Philippines Gary Lin (林松煥) and his Philippine counterpart, Antonio Basilio, at a ceremony witnessed by the two nations’ heads of fisheries agencies and Manila Economic and Cultural Office chairman Amadeo Perez.
The agreement consists of seven articles and three consensuses that were implemented prior to its signing: avoiding the use of violence or unnecessary force; establishing an emergency notification system; and a prompt release mechanism.
At an impromptu press conference later yesterday, Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lin (林永樂) said Taiwan and the Philippines held the first technical working group (TWG) meeting immediately after the agreement’s signing to complete the formality of an exchange of letters and to work out the details on some issues.
“The meeting reached a consensus on two mechanisms, including a one-hour advance notification to the other party and prompt release of detained vessels and crew within three days,” David Lin said.
According to the foreign ministry, the mechanisms require Manila to notify Taipei’s fisheries, coast guard agencies and representative office one hour before taking law enforcement action against a Taiwanese fishing vessel believed to be illegally operating more than 24 nautical miles (44.5km) off the Philippines’ coast where both parties’ economic zones overlap.
Should the fishing vessel be found to have broken the law and subsequently detained, it must be released within three days after posting reasonable bond or payment consistent with the law of the arresting party.
David Lin said that while both parties failed at their first meeting to reach a concord on the issue of Taiwanese boats operating between 12 and 24 nautical miles seaward of the Philippines’ baseline, the matter is to be deliberated again at the second TWG event, which is expected to be held in Manila in January or early February.
“In the meantime, the area will remain at the ‘status quo,’ but our coast guard ships will continue their efforts to protect Taiwanese fishing boats there,” David Lin said.
Asked if the delayed announcement was to avoid disrupting the APEC summit or the Nov. 7 landmark meeting between President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in Singapore, David Lin said it was because there were some domestic administrative procedures for both sides to go through.
“We had already agreed to make the announcement either yesterday or today,” he added.
However, a report published yesterday by the Central News Agency quoted a Philippine government official, who requested anonymity, as saying that the Philippines had asked for the news to be withheld due to the APEC meeting.
Manila wanted to avoid irritating China or the likely scenario of it boycotting the leaders’ summit, given that Sino-Philippine ties have soured recently because of territorial disputes in the South China Sea, the official said.
In response, Donggang Fishermen’s Association chief executive Lin Han-chou (林漢丑) said consensuses should also be made between Taiwan and the Philippines on bilateral cooperation in their overlapping waters.
“While the three consensuses included in the treaty are plausible, both governments should work to reach an understanding on cooperation in their overlapping economic zones, as that is where most Taiwanese fishing boats have been detained,” Lin Han-chou said.
Liouciou Fishermen’s Association chief executive Tsai Pao-hsing (蔡寶興) said the government should hold public hearings and solicit opinions from fishermen before signing any deals, or the agreements might not meet fishermen’s needs.
Taipei and Manila have been negotiating an agreement on maritime law enforcement cooperation since 2013, as part of their efforts to improve relations after Philippine Coast Guard officers fired upon a Taiwanese fishing boat on May 9 that year, killing 65-year-old Taiwanese fisherman Hung Shih-cheng (洪石成) in waters where the two countries’ exclusive economic zones overlap.
The shooting sparked outrage in Taiwan and prompted the government to impose sanctions against the Philippines.
Additional reporting by CNA
‘NO SECURITY RISK’: The Railway Bureau reassured the public that the technicians’ activities were limited to technical guidance and did not involve sensitive systems The Railway Bureau yesterday said it had invited eight Chinese technicians to assist with an airport MRT construction project. The bureau issued the confirmation after an Internet user said Chinese nationals had entered the construction zone of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s Terminal 3 project. They asked why “individuals from an enemy state” were allowed access to such a major national infrastructure project, which raised serious concerns over Taiwan’s industrial safety, sensitive systems and information security. The bureau’s Northern Region Engineering Branch Office said subcontractor Taiwan Handle Industrial Co (台灣手把工業) of the Taoyuan airport MRT’s “Contract No. CU05 Project A14 Station Civil, MEP &
A US uncrewed surface vessel (USV) encountered multiple Chinese warships during an autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait, US defense company Seasats said in a statement on Wednesday. Seasats announced that a Lightfish USV had completed the first autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait. Over five days, the USV traversed the entire length of the Strait while constantly monitoring surface vessel traffic, the company said. The Lightfish encountered multiple Chinese warships, one of which was a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Type 056 corvette, it said. The Chinese vessels were operating “well within Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone without transmitting their identity via the
‘BOOMING’: ’ The number of partners we have here is incredible. You can see from their stock prices. They’re doing so well, they’re so happy,’ Jensen Huang said Nvidia Corp’s spending in Taiwan has ballooned to about US$150 billion a year, 10 times the US$10 billion to US$15 billion the company spent five years ago, Nvidia chief executive officer Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) said yesterday, suggesting Taiwan’s strategic importance in the global artificial intelligence (AI) supply chain. “Taiwan is the epicenter of the AI revolution. This is where the chips come, packaging comes. This is where the systems are made. This is where AI supercomputers were created,” Huang said at a meeting for the company’s employees in Beitou-Shilin Technology Park (北投士林科技園區) in Taipei, the planned site of Nvidia’s Taipei headquarters. “Taiwan
GREATER REACH? Auto parts and wood products would face tariffs of up to 15%, matching those targeting the EU, Japan and South Korea, Vice Premier said The US has announced that preferential tariff treatment for Taiwan’s non-semiconductor Section 232 goods would take effect retroactively from May 1, the Executive Yuan said yesterday. The US government yesterday posted a notice on the Federal Register’s public inspection Web site previewing tariff concessions for Taiwan under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Taiwan-US investment after two months of negotiations. The MOU signed on Jan. 15 stipulated three major preferential tariff arrangements: a 15 percent “reciprocal” tariff rate for Taiwan without stacking most-favored nation (MFN) rates; preferential Section 232 treatment for semiconductors and related products; and preferential Section 232 treatment for non-semiconductor
RSS