Taiwan is determined to address the dispute with Japan over fishing near the Okinotori atoll in talks scheduled for late next month, an official said yesterday.
Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Leo Lee (李澄然) made the comment at a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Internal Administration Committee, which was also attended by officials from the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) and the Council of Agriculture.
At the meeting, People First Party (PFP) Legislator Chen Yi-chieh (陳怡潔) asked whether the government, since it took office May 20, has continued with efforts to protect the rights of Taiwanese fishermen operating in waters near Okinotori in the western Pacific.
Citing Japanese media reports from May 23 that the Coast Guard Administration would withdraw patrols from the vicinity because of Taipei’s stance, Chen asked whether the government is no longer protecting the rights of Taiwanese fishermen operating there.
Lee said that the Cabinet would hold talks with Japan on maritime affairs, including fishing rights, by the end of next month.
Lee said that the government has continued to deploy patrol vessels in waters near Okinotori atoll to protect Taiwanese fishing boats operating there.
CGA Director-General Lee Chung-wei (李仲威) dismissed the Japanese reports as incorrect, saying that on the day they were published, its vessels were operating near the atoll.
The dispute erupted after a Taiwanese fishing boat was detained by Japan on April 25 on the high seas near the Japan-controlled atoll.
The administration of former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) lodged a protest with Tokyo after the Japanese authorities refused to release the boat until the owner had paid a security deposit of ￥6 million (US$57,531).
Japan defines the atoll as an island, which is therefore entitled to a 200 nautical mile (370.4km) exclusive economic zone, but Taiwan says that it is not an island because it cannot sustain human habitation and accuses Japan of carrying out land reclamation to expand the feature.
Ma has previously proposed submitting the dispute for international mediation and arbitration.
The new administration has announced that the two sides will set up a dialogue mechanism for cooperation on maritime affairs by the end of next month in an effort to seek a resolution of the dispute.
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