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.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday voiced dissatisfaction with the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans- Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), whose latest meeting, concluded earlier the same day, appeared not to address the country’s application. In a statement, MOFA said the CPTPP commission had "once again failed to fairly process Taiwan’s application," attributing the inaction to the bloc’s "succumbing to political pressure," without elaborating. Taiwan submitted its CPTPP application under the name "Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu" on Sept. 22, 2021 -- less than a week after China
THE GOOD WORD: More than 100 colleges on both sides of the Pacific will work together to bring students to Taiwan so they can learn Mandarin where it is spoken A total of 102 universities from Taiwan and the US are collaborating in a push to promote Taiwan as the first-choice place to learn Mandarin, with seven Mandarin learning centers stood up in the US to train and support teachers, the Foundation for International Cooperation in Higher Education of Taiwan (FICHET) said. At the annual convention of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages held over the weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana, a Taiwan Pavilion was jointly run by 17 representative teams from the FICHET, the Overseas Community Affairs Council, the Steering Committee for the Test of Proficiency-Huayu, the
A home-style restaurant opened by a Taiwanese woman in Quezon City in Metro Manila has been featured in the first-ever Michelin Guide honoring exceptional restaurants in the Philippines. The restaurant, Fong Wei Wu (豐味屋), was one of 74 eateries to receive a “Michelin Selected” honor in the guide, while one restaurant received two Michelin stars, eight received one star and 25 were awarded a “Bib Gourmand.” The guide, which was limited to restaurants in Metro Manila and Cebu, was published on Oct. 30. In an interview, Feng Wei Wu’s owner and chef, Linda, said that as a restaurateur in her 60s, receiving an
MORE RETALIATION: China would adopt a long-term pressure strategy to prevent other countries or future prime ministers following in Sanae Takaichi’s steps, an academic said Taiwan should maintain communications with Japan, as Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is to lead a revision of security documents, Taiwanese academics said yesterday. Tensions have risen between Japan and China over remarks by Takaichi earlier this month that the use of force against Taiwan would constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan. Prospect Foundation president Lai I-chung (賴怡忠) yesterday said Takaichi’s stance regarding Taiwan is the same as past Japanese prime ministers, but her position is clearer than that of her predecessors Fumio Kishida and Shigeru Ishiba. Although Japan views a “Taiwan contingency” as a “survival-threatening situation,” which would allow its military to
RSS