Setting foot on Pengjia islet (彭佳嶼) as the first head of state from Taiwan to ever visit the nation's northernmost territory, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday reiterated Taiwan's sovereignty claim over the Diaoyutai islands (釣魚台).
The Diaoyutais, about 141km from Pengjia, are at the center of a sovereignty dispute between Taiwan and Japan -- which calls them the Senkaku -- and a quarrel over fishing rights.
Accompanied by both Minister of National Defense Lee Jye (李傑) and chief of the Coast Guard Administration Hsu Hui-yu (許惠祐), Chen's high-profile visit to Pengjia yesterday was the second time in a fortnight he had visited Taiwan's remote territories, having visited the southerly Pratas Islands on July 28.
PHOTO: CNA
"The Diaoyutais belong to us, belong to Taiwan, there is no doubt about it ... I'm here to show our determination to protect our territory," Chen said.
The chain has, in recent months, became a thorn in the side of Taiwan-Japan relations after local fishermen held a large-scale demonstration last month to protest what they called unfair treatment at the hands of the Japanese coast guard.
Stating that Taiwan and Japan's conflicting claims to the Diaoyutais was a matter separate from that of fishing rights, the president said major local fishermen's associations have also thrown their support behind the government's "separate handling" stance and added that his administration would do whatever it could to secure the best possible benefits for local fishermen in negotiations with Japan.
Chen said that although the 15th round of Taiwan-Japan fishery talks in Tokyo on July 29 reached "no significant breakthrough" given the complexity and sensitivities of issues involved such as overlapping economic zones and conflicting territorial claims, "progress is considered being made so long as we continue to hold talk and keep talking."
"Taiwan, as a liberal, democratic and peace-loving country, is obliged to resolve international disputes through negotiations in line with international law and precedents and not use unilateral confrontational moves," Chen said.
Chen also said that Coast Guard Administration planned to build new bases on Pengjia to facilitate patrol missions and the monitoring of oil exploration disputes among neighboring countries, including Japan, China and South Korea, as well as expanding its policing area and providing better protection for fishermen.
The ownership of Pengjia is not disputed but there are competing claims to maritime areas between Pengjia and the Diaoyutais.
As part of a monument-unveiling ceremony in the islet, the president autographed copies of a new book published by the Coast Guard Administration to provide information about Taiwan's territorial waters and 200-mile exclusive economic zone.
The only one inhabited out of the three islets, Pengjia is guarded by military personnel and coast guard officers.
BACK IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD: The planned transit by the ‘Baden-Wuerttemberg’ and the ‘Frankfurt am Main’ would be the German Navy’s first passage since 2002 Two German warships are set to pass through the Taiwan Strait in the middle of this month, becoming the first German naval vessels to do so in 22 years, Der Spiegel reported on Saturday. Reuters last month reported that the warships, the frigate Baden-Wuerttemberg and the replenishment ship Frankfurt am Main, were awaiting orders from Berlin to sail the Strait, prompting a rebuke to Germany from Beijing. Der Spiegel cited unspecified sources as saying Beijing would not be formally notified of the German ships’ passage to emphasize that Berlin views the trip as normal. The German Federal Ministry of Defense declined to comment. While
‘REGRETTABLE’: TPP lawmaker Vivian Huang said that ‘we will continue to support Chairman Ko and defend his innocence’ as he was transferred to a detention facility The Taipei District Court yesterday ruled that Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) be detained and held incommunicado over alleged corruption dating to his time as mayor of Taipei. The ruling reversed a decision by the court on Monday morning that Ko be released without bail. After prosecutors on Wednesday appealed the Monday decision, the High Court said that Ko had potentially been “actively involved” in the alleged corruption and ordered the district court to hold a second detention hearing. Ko did not speak to reporters upon his arrival at the district court at about 9:10am yesterday to attend a procedural
‘UPHOLDING PEACE’: Taiwan’s foreign minister thanked the US Congress for using a ‘creative and effective way’ to deter Chinese military aggression toward the nation The US House of Representatives on Monday passed the Taiwan Conflict Deterrence Act, aimed at deterring Chinese aggression toward Taiwan by threatening to publish information about Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials’ “illicit” financial assets if Beijing were to attack. The act would also “restrict financial services for certain immediate family of such officials,” the text of the legislation says. The bill was introduced in January last year by US representatives French Hill and Brad Sherman. After remarks from several members, it passed unanimously. “If China chooses to attack the free people of Taiwan, [the bill] requires the Treasury secretary to publish the illicit
The Executive Yuan yesterday warned against traveling to or doing business in China after reports that Beijing is recruiting Taiwanese to help conceal the use of forced Uighur labor. The government is aware that Taiwan-based influencers and businesses are being asked to make pro-Beijing content and offered incentives to invest in the region, Executive Yuan acting spokeswoman Julia Hsieh (謝子涵) told a news conference. Taiwanese are urged to be aware of the potential personal and reputational harm by visiting or operating businesses in China, Hsieh said, adding that agencies are fully apprised of the situation. A national security official said that former Mainland
RSS