Ongoing talks between Japan and the Philippines on exclusive economic zones (EEZs) and maritime borders should not infringe upon Taiwanese interests, and Taiwan would continue talks with both sides on the matter, the Executive Yuan said yesterday.
Last month, Japan and the Philippines said they would begin talks to delimit the maritime boundaries of their respective EEZs and continental shelves in accordance with international law.
The announcement raised concerns among some Taiwanese maritime experts, as the two countries’ claimed EEZs overlap with Taiwan’s in waters east of the nation.
Photo: AP
An EEZ extends up to 200 nautical miles (370.4km) from a coastal state’s baseline and gives that state sovereign rights over the exploration and management of natural resources within the zone.
Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michell Lee (李慧芝) yesterday said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ response on Wednesday clearly stated that Tokyo and Manila assured Taipei that any agreement reached would not be legally binding on third parties, in line with international legal principles.
Taiwan has asked that any agreement reached by both parties should not infringe upon Taiwanese interests, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday.
Regarding China’s comments that both sides of the Taiwan Strait were under “one China” and that the actions of Japan and the Philippines infringed upon Chinese maritime rights, Lee said China should not attempt to make Taiwan’s eastern coast part of its internal waters.
China’s coast guard conducted a law-enforcement patrol in waters east of Taiwan on Monday, days after Beijing asserted sovereign rights over the area, claiming that it was within its domestic territory.
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday in a statement said that the Japanese-Philippine talks do not take away Taiwan’s sovereign claims to the area, and that any country claiming jurisdiction over the region would be forcibly driven away.
Ocean Affairs Council Deputy Minister Chang Chung-lung (張忠龍) said that all deals with Japan and the Philippines still stand, and the CGA would enforce the laws accordingly and protect Taiwan’s fishers.
In response to questions about whether Manila and Tokyo would consult with Taipei during the negotiations, and whether the deal would affect Taiwanese fishing rights in the region, Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs Deputy Assistant Secretary Rogelio Villanueva Jr said that negotiations have yet to commence, and the supposition that the fishing rights of any actor would be affected is premature.
Villanueva Jr said that all issues regarding the maritime border should be based on joint statements issued by the Philippines and Japan.
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