The fatal shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman by the Philippine Coast Guard in contested waters in the South China Sea has prompted Taipei to urge Manila to negotiate with it over the delineation of fishing grounds in the area, negotiations that have previously been impeded largely by opposition from China, analysts said.
When Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Shih (石定) summoned Philippine Representative to Taiwan Antonio Basilio on Friday to register the government’s concerns over the incident, the ministry proposed that a fisheries agreement be signed between the two countries to end fishing disputes.
According to the ministry, Basilio, who received a copy of the recently signed fisheries agreement between Taiwan and Japan on waters surrounding the disputed Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台), said Manila “might consider the option.”
At a press conference afterward, Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lin (林永樂) called on the Philippines, which he said “has shown very little or no interests on the matter,” to “bring the issue to the fore of bilateral relations.”
A ministry official previously posted in the Philippines, who was speaking on condition of anonymity, said yesterday that the major hindrance to seeing the Philippines sit down with Taiwan on the issue was its adherence to a “one China” policy.
The Philippines has been too intimidated by China’s superior military power and economic sanctions to break the “one China” policy, which prevents countries from signing any agreement with Taiwan without China’s consent, he said.
Fisheries Agency Director-General James Sha (沙志一) said that the political obstacle has been an issue in Taiwan’s dealings with the Philippines.
Taiwan and the Philippines signed the Agreement on Sea Lane Passage and the Memorandum on Agriculture and Fisheries Cooperation in 1991 to ensure safe passage of Taiwanese fishing boats in its territorial waters en route to the South Pacific Ocean, but in 1998, the Philippines unilaterally invalidated the accord, Sha said.
National Taiwan University international law professor -Chiang Huang-chih (姜皇池) said that countries that have competing territorial claims could resort to various mechanisms to demarcate the zones within which fishing vessels from concerned parties could carry on their operations.
When disputes over territorial delimitation arise, the countries could send the cases to the International Court of Justice, Permanent Court of Arbitration, International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea or an ad hoc tribunal, with the consent of all parties, he said.
However, the chance is low that the Philippines will accept any of the options because it could use China as an excuse to delay the issue, Chiang said.
‘NON-RED’: Taiwan and Ireland should work together to foster a values-driven, democratic economic system, leveraging their complementary industries, Lai said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday expressed hopes for closer ties between Taiwan and Ireland, and that both countries could collaborate to create a values-driven, democracy-centered economic system. He made the remarks while meeting with an Irish cross-party parliamentary delegation visiting Taiwan. The delegation, led by John McGuinness, deputy speaker of the Irish house of representatives, known as the Dail, includes Irish lawmakers Malcolm Byrne, Barry Ward, Ken O’Flynn and Teresa Costello. McGuinness, who chairs the Ireland-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Association, is a friend of Taiwan, and under his leadership, the association’s influence has grown over the past few years, Lai said. Ireland is
FINAL COUNTDOWN: About 50,000 attended a pro-recall rally yesterday, while the KMT and the TPP plan to rally against the recall votes today Democracy activists, together with arts and education representatives, yesterday organized a motorcade, while thousands gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei in the evening in support of tomorrow’s recall votes. Recall votes for 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu City mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) are to be held tomorrow, while recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers are scheduled for Aug. 23. The afternoon motorcade was led by the Spring Breeze Culture and Arts Foundation, the Tyzen Hsiao Foundation and the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association, and was joined by delegates from the Taiwan Statebuilding Party and the Taiwan Solidarity
A saleswoman, surnamed Chen (陳), earlier this month was handed an 18-month prison term for embezzling more than 2,000 pairs of shoes while working at a department store in Tainan. The Tainan District Court convicted Chen of embezzlement in a ruling on July 7, sentencing her to prison for illegally profiting NT$7.32 million (US$248,929) at the expense of her employer. Chen was also given the opportunity to reach a financial settlement, but she declined. Chen was responsible for the sales counter of Nike shoes at Tainan’s Shinkong Mitsukoshi Zhongshan branch, where she had been employed since October 2019. She had previously worked
The Taipei District Court today ruled to extend the incommunicado detention of former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and Taipei City Councilor Angela Ying (應曉薇) for two more months as part of an ongoing corruption trial. Codefendants in the case — real-estate tycoon Sheen Ching-jing (沈慶京) and Ko's former mayoral office head Lee Wen-tsung (李文宗) — were granted bail of NT$100 million (US$3.4 million) and NT$20 million respectively. Sheen and Lee would also be barred from leaving the country for eight months and prohibited from contact with, harassing, threatening or inquiring after the case with codefendants or witnesses. The two would also be
RSS