Taiwan and Japan struck a compromise in talks in Taipei on Friday about allowing fishing boats from both sides to operate in overlapping waters in the East China Sea, Fishery Agency Director-General James Sha (沙志一) said.
Under the agreement, there will be no exclusion of fishing boats from either side in fishing grounds shared by fishing boats from the two countries.
Ground rules were also established to avoid friction caused by different operating methods, Sha said.
The rules were targeted at the 4,530km2 zone surrounding the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) in the East China Sea that was opened to Taiwanese fishing vessels in a historic fishing agreement signed by Taiwan and Japan in April last year.
The two sides agreed that all fishing boats should adopt the Japanese method of operations in one area of the zone (known as Z1) east of the Diaoyutais from May to early July and in another area north of the Yaeyama Islands (known as Z2) from April to July, the traditional tuna-fishing season, Sha said.
At all other times of the year, fishing boats should adopt the Taiwanese approach, the official said.
The Japanese side will also notify Taiwan’s fishing association before its boats can operate in those two areas, Sha said.
The guidelines were needed to prevent conflicts as Japanese fishing boats draw their lines in a north-south direction and maintain a 4 nautical mile (7.4km) distance between them, while the Taiwanese boats deploy lines in an east-west direction and maintain a distance of 1 nautical mile.
Fishermen from the Yaeyama Islands had also complained about being forced out of the Z2 area by the large numbers of Taiwanese fishing boats converging there since the agreement was signed, Sha said.
Both sides also agreed to make sure all fishing boats are insured, he said.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) today said that if South Korea does not reply appropriately to its request to correct Taiwan’s name on its e-Arrival card system before March 31, it would take corresponding measures to alter how South Korea is labeled on the online Taiwan Arrival Card system. South Korea’s e-Arrival card system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in the “point of departure” and “next destination” fields. The ministry said that it changed the nationality for South Koreans on Taiwan’s Alien Resident Certificates from “Korea” to “South Korea” on March 1, in a gesture of goodwill and based on the
The New Taipei Metro's Sanyin Line and the eastern extension of the Taipei Metro's Tamsui-Xinyi Line (Red Line) are scheduled to begin operations in June, the National Development Council said today. The Red Line, which terminates at Xiangshan Station, would be connected by the 1.4km extension to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, while the Sanyin Line would link New Taipei City's Tucheng and Yingge stations via Sanxia District (三峽). The council gave the updates at a council meeting reviewing progress on public construction projects for this year. Taiwan's annual public infrastructure budget would remain at NT$800 billion (US$25.08 billion), with NT$97.3
Taiwanese officials were shown the first of 66 F-16V fighter jets purchased by Taiwan from the United States, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday, adding the aircraft has completed an initial flight test and is expected to be delivered later this year. A delegation led by Deputy Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) visited Lockheed Martin’s F-16 C/D Block 70 (also known as F-16V) assembly line in South Carolina on March 16 to view the aircraft. The jet will undergo a final acceptance flight in the US before being delivered to Taiwan, the
RSS