Taiwan’s new government hopes to use dialogue with Japan to address the rights of Taiwanese fishermen in disputed waters in the Pacific and future patrols in those areas would depend on need, Cabinet spokesman Tung Chen-yuan (童振源) said yesterday.
Tung said sitting down with Japan for talks would be the best and most peaceful way to protect the rights of Taiwanese fishermen, a day after he said the two nations would establish a dialogue mechanism on maritime affairs cooperation by the end of July.
“Using dialogue to replace clashes and disputes is the principle of the government in handling international affairs, and in the interests of all sides,” Tung said.
Taiwan and Japan clashed over the rights of Taiwanese fishermen to operate in waters near Okinotori in the Western Pacific after a Taiwanese fishing boat, the Tung Sheng Chi No. 16, was seized on April 25 by the Japan Coast Guard while operating in waters about 150 nautical miles (277.8km) from the atoll.
The boat and its crew were released on April 26, but only after its owner paid a ￥6 million (US$54,710) deposit demanded by Japanese authorities.
Coast Guard Administration vessels and a military ship were then sent to the area on a mission that runs until Tuesday next week to protect the interests of fishermen still operating there.
The administration of former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who stepped down on Friday last week, said that Okinotori is a reef and therefore not entitled to anything more than a 500m “security zone” around it, meaning that the seized vessel was operating in international waters.
However, Japan considers Okinotori an island entitled to a 200 nautical mile (370km) exclusive economic zone.
The administration of President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) of the Democratic Progressive Party, which has traditionally been friendly to Japan, took power on Friday last week and has been more conciliatory on the issue.
Tung said the government has the responsibility to ensure the safe operations of Taiwanese fishermen, and patrols to protect Taiwan’s fishing vessels are continuing.
As to whether the patrol would continue after Tuesday, Tung said the government would assess the situation, and if Taiwanese fishing boats are not operating there at that time, the patrol ships would not enter the waters.
However, he sidestepped the question when asked whether Taiwanese fishermen could operate in waters near the Okinotori atoll before the launch of the dialogue mechanism in July.
Tung replied that the government would arrange for patrols according to actual needs.
On whether patrol vessels would sail within 200 nautical miles of Okinotori, Tung said the government would consider the situation before taking action, but said its protection of fishermen would not be compromised.
Tung said the new government would “respect the decision” of the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf on whether Okinotori is an island or a reef.
Japan has submitted related documents on the matter to the commission, Tung added.
“The government has no specific stance on it legally before the unveiling of the decision,” Tung said.
Japan’s Kyodo news agency on Monday reported that Taiwan’s new government had informed the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the patrol boats were being withdrawn ahead of schedule, but the Coast Guard Administration dismissed the report on Monday, saying that patrols would continue until at least Tuesday, as scheduled.
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