Representatives from Taiwan and Japan on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on tackling marine debris during a round of discussions in Tokyo on maritime affairs.
The MOU was signed by Taiwan-Japan Relations Association Chairman Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) and Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association Chairman Mitsuo Ohashi.
Under the MOU, the Taiwan-Japan Relations Association would request cooperation from Taiwan’s Ocean Conservation Administration, the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association and agencies of the Japanese Ministry of Environment to push forward exchanges and cooperation on researching techniques for surveying and cleaning marine debris, with the aim of reducing synthetic waste in the ocean.
Photo: CNA
The two associations should be in constant communication over issues related to marine debris, and should exchange the latest information regarding surveying and cleaning techniques, the MOU said.
Japan and Taiwan have received acclaim for their work to address maritime affairs under the Global Cooperation and Training Framework (GCTF), which they jointly founded with the US and Australia, Ohashi said in a speech.
The MOU seeks to build on the achievements of the GCTF to deepen the mutually beneficial partnership between Taiwan and Japan while tackling these matters, he added.
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan donated masks and pulse oximeters to Japan, which later donated AstraZeneca vaccines to Taiwan, Su said.
This underscored the deep friendship between the two countries, Su said, adding he believes that with sincerity and mutual trust any unresolved issues can be settled in a mutually advantageous way.
Issues covered by this year’s discussions on maritime affairs included cooperation in marine ecology, maritime security, marine science and fishery, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
The two sides also discussed the Okinotori atoll issue during the meeting, but have yet to arrive at a consensus, the ministry said.
The classification of the Japan-held Okinotori atoll, which Tokyo calls Okinotori Island, in 2016 prompted the establishment of the dialogue between the two associations, as it relates to the demarcation of Japan’s exclusive economic zone, which substantially overlaps that of Taiwan.
Japan’s Coast Guard in April 2016 seized a Taiwanese fishing boat operating 277.8km east-southeast of the atoll, which prompted the Coast Guard Administration and the Council of Agriculture to each dispatch a ship to escort fishing boats out of the contested waters.
Although the two sides did not reach a consensus on the atoll dispute during the latest round of discussions, they agreed to continue the dialogue for further cooperation on fishery matters, the ministry said.
They also agreed to hold another round of discussions on maritime affairs in Taipei next year, it said.
The dialogue was last held in Taipei in 2019, but was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Taiwan has received more than US$70 million in royalties as of the end of last year from developing the F-16V jet as countries worldwide purchase or upgrade to this popular model, government and military officials said on Saturday. Taiwan funded the development of the F-16V jet and ended up the sole investor as other countries withdrew from the program. Now the F-16V is increasingly popular and countries must pay Taiwan a percentage in royalties when they purchase new F-16V aircraft or upgrade older F-16 models. The next five years are expected to be the peak for these royalties, with Taiwan potentially earning
STAY IN YOUR LANE: As the US and Israel attack Iran, the ministry has warned China not to overstep by including Taiwanese citizens in its evacuation orders The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday rebuked a statement by China’s embassy in Israel that it would evacuate Taiwanese holders of Chinese travel documents from Israel amid the latter’s escalating conflict with Iran. Tensions have risen across the Middle East in the wake of US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran beginning Saturday. China subsequently issued an evacuation notice for its citizens. In a news release, the Chinese embassy in Israel said holders of “Taiwan compatriot permits (台胞證)” issued to Taiwanese nationals by Chinese authorities for travel to China — could register for evacuation to Egypt. In Taipei, the ministry yesterday said Taiwan
Taiwan is awaiting official notification from the US regarding the status of the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART) after the US Supreme Court ruled US President Donald Trump's global tariffs unconstitutional. Speaking to reporters before a legislative hearing today, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said that Taiwan's negotiation team remains focused on ensuring that the bilateral trade deal remains intact despite the legal challenge to Trump's tariff policy. "The US has pledged to notify its trade partners once the subsequent administrative and legal processes are finalized, and that certainly includes Taiwan," Cho said when asked about opposition parties’ doubts that the ART was
If China chose to invade Taiwan tomorrow, it would only have to sever three undersea fiber-optic cable clusters to cause a data blackout, Jason Hsu (許毓仁), a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator, told a US security panel yesterday. In a Taiwan contingency, cable disruption would be one of the earliest preinvasion actions and the signal that escalation had begun, he said, adding that Taiwan’s current cable repair capabilities are insufficient. The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) yesterday held a hearing on US-China Competition Under the Sea, with Hsu speaking on
RSS