Fisheries Agency Deputy Director Chiang Ying-chih (江英智) yesterday reiterated that long-stalled fisheries talks between Japan and Taiwan, which are likely to be resumed next month, are to focus mainly on Taiwanese fishing rights in the disputed waters near the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台), and not on sovereignty.
“The new round of Taiwan-Japan talks would center on the rights of Taiwanese fishing boats to operate near the archipelago and would not touch upon sovereignty issues,” Chiang said on the sidelines of a press conference in Taipei to promote certified agricultural standards (CAS) for aquatic products.
Both countries are engaging in preparatory communications, but the topics to be covered in the talks have yet to be finalized, Chiang added.
Photo: CNA
According to Japanese media reports, the new round of Taiwan-Japan fisheries talks, which would be the 17th round of such talks, could take place as early as next month.
Taiwan is said to have rejected a proposal by Japan to resume the talks after the latter nationalized three of the islands in the chain on Sept. 11, a move that led to widespread protests against Japan and a water-cannon altercation between Taiwanese and Japanese coast guard vessels during a protest voyage by Taiwanese fishermen in waters near the disputed islands.
Japan has been dispatching patrol vessels to expel Taiwanese fishing boats operating within its claimed exclusive economic zone (EEZ), which extends 200 nautical miles (370.4km) from its baseline, including water off the Diaoyutai Islands, which are known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan.
Taiwan and Japan’s 16 rounds of fishery talks have yielded little results thus far.
When pressed by reporters on how fishing rights could be addressed if the matter of the overlapping EEZs of Taiwan and Japan is not, Chiang said the EEZ issue was related to sovereignty dispute because an EEZ stretches from the seaward edge of a country’s claimed territory to a distance of 200 nautical miles.
“The talks aim only to deliberate on fishing operations [near the Diaoyutais,] while shelving any disputed issues,” Chiang said.
As for the overlapping EEZ matter, Chiang said the government was inclined to adopt an approach of joint management to allow simple fishing operations in the area, but added that further discussions were still required.
TRAFFIC SAFETY RULES: A positive result in a drug test would result in a two-year license suspension for the driver and vehicle, and a fine of up to NT$180,000 The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is to authorize police to conduct roadside saliva tests by the end of the year to deter people from driving while under the influence of narcotics, it said yesterday. The ministry last month unveiled a draft of amended regulations governing traffic safety rules and penalties, which included provisions empowering police to conduct mandatory saliva tests on drivers. While currently rules authorize police to use oral fluid testing kits for signs of drug use, they do not establish penalties for noncompliance or operating procedures for officers to follow, the ministry said. The proposed changes to the regulations require
Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung and Taoyuan would issue a decision at 8pm on whether to cancel work and school tomorrow due to forecasted heavy rain, Keelung Mayor Hsieh Kuo-liang (謝國樑) said today. Hsieh told reporters that absent some pressing reason, the four northern cities would announce the decision jointly at 8pm. Keelung is expected to receive between 300mm and 490mm of rain in the period from 2pm today through 2pm tomorrow, Central Weather Administration data showed. Keelung City Government regulations stipulate that school and work can be canceled if rain totals in mountainous or low-elevation areas are forecast to exceed 350mm in
1.4nm WAFERS: While TSMC is gearing up to expand its overseas production, it would also continue to invest in Taiwan, company chairman and CEO C.C. Wei said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) has applied for permission to construct a new plant in the Central Taiwan Science Park (中部科學園區), which it would use for the production of new high-speed wafers, the National Science and Technology Council said yesterday. The council, which supervises three major science parks in Taiwan, confirmed that the Central Taiwan Science Park Bureau had received an application on Friday from TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipmaker, to commence work on the new A14 fab. A14 technology, a 1.4 nanometer (nm) process, is designed to drive artificial intelligence transformation by enabling faster computing and greater power
China Airlines Ltd (CAL) yesterday morning joined SkyTeam’s Aviation Challenge for the fourth time, operating a demonstration flight for “net zero carbon emissions” from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Bangkok. The flight used sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at a ratio of up to 40 percent, the highest proportion CAL has achieved to date, the nation’s largest carrier said. Since April, SAF has become available to Taiwanese international carriers at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport), Kaohsiung International Airport and Taoyuan airport. In previous challenges, CAL operated “net zero carbon emission flights” to Singapore and Japan. At a ceremony at Taoyuan airport, China Airlines chief sustainability
RSS