The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday called on the Philippines and Japan not to infringe on Taiwan’s rights in its territorial waters, after both countries said last week they were beginning talks on maritime delimitation in their overlapping exclusive economic zones (EEZs), which also partly overlap with Taiwan’s EEZ.
Ministry spokesman Hsiao Kuang-wei (蕭光偉) said that the government would protect the rights and interests of Taiwan’s fishing crews and would continue to consult with Tokyo and Manila on maritime issues based on the two separate agreements it has with them that address issues concerning Taiwanese fishing rights in Taiwan’s overlapping EEZs with Japan and the Philippines.
Some Taiwanese maritime experts have since expressed concerns about the overlaps with the two countries’ EEZs in waters east of Taiwan.
Photo: Taipei Times
An EEZ is a sea zone extending up to 200 nautical miles (370km) from a coastal nation’s baseline. Within this area, countries possess sovereign rights to explore and manage resources.
The Tokyo-Manila announcement drew criticism from China.
On Monday, China’s coast guard conducted a law enforcement patrol in waters east of Taiwan, several days after Beijing asserted that it enjoys sovereign rights over the area in accordance with its domestic laws.
In a news release, the ministry lauded the Tokyo-Manila talks, which it saw as a way to “resolve maritime differences through peaceful dialogue and based on respect for international law.”
It criticized Beijing for its dated claim that Taiwan is People’s Republic of China territory.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) described the ministry’s statement as “humiliating” and said a failure to seek participation in the talks on overlapping EEZs could seriously hurt Taiwanese fishing crews’ livelihoods.
Asked to comment on the criticism, Hsiao told a regular weekly briefing yesterday that Taiwan believes Japan and the Philippines have no intention of infringing on Taiwan’s rights in their maritime boundary talks.
There were no details on the proposed EEZ boundaries so far, he said, adding that the ministry had instructed its representative offices in Tokyo and Manila to gather more information.
He cited remarks made on Monday in Tokyo by Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara, who said that any agreement on maritime boundaries reached by Japan and the Philippines would not be legally binding on “third parties.”
Hsiao said the government would ask both countries to engage in dialogue with Taipei regarding the maritime boundary issue to ensure Taiwan’s rights are fully protected.
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