While the nation engages in heated discussion about the Papua New Guinea fund scandal, Taiwan's sovereignty is being trampled internationally. The media ignores this and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs seems to be busy with internal troubles.
Late last month, crew members from a Greenpeace ship boarded the Taiwanese tuna boat Nian Sheng 3 while it was fishing in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. Not finding any proof of illegal activities, the activists escorted the ship out of international waters, with the excuse that they wanted to protect tuna. These actions violate Taiwan's right of sovereignty over ships flying its flag in international waters.
But all Taiwan did was have the Fisheries Agency issue some weak protests and send a letter to the secretarial office of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) asking it to uphold justice. Greenpeace is not a member of the WCPFC, but even if it were, the commission is a management organization with no power to handle rights violations -- in any case, the WCPFC's next meeting isn]t until the end of this year. The actions of the Fisheries Agency are not only too late, they are also aimed at the wrong recipient. Meanwhile, the foreign ministry has done nothing. Then early this month Greenpeace again raided another Taiwanese ship, the Ho Tsai Fa 18.
Ships in international waters fall under the jurisdiction of the country where the ship is registered -- its flag state. This is one of the fundamental principles of international law. The ship's captain has no right to allow others to board the ship, and any such action that has not been agreed to by the authorities of the flag state is illegal and constitutes a clear and serious infringement of national sovereignty.
In 1989, Taiwanese fishing boats were found salmon fishing, perhaps illegally, in the north Pacific near the US. A boat from the US Coast Guard asked permission for observers to come aboard to investigate, which Taiwan categorically refused. Although observers were worried that the Taiwanese boat would dump the fish to destroy the presumed evidence, the US ship only followed the fishing boat for a few thousand nautical miles until it reached Taiwanese waters, where local authorities took control of the investigation. That a country as big and strong as the US doesn]t dare to board a foreign fishing boat shows its respect for this fundamental rule.
A system for boarding boats in international waters was implemented in the central and western Pacific this year -- the most advanced measure taken so far by any international fishery organization to enforce laws on protection and management. Taiwan has dedicated many years and dozens of negotiation rounds to arrange mutual boarding mechanisms with different countries. Countries that want crew to be allowed to board Taiwanese fishing boats can only do so after agreeing to give Taiwan the same rights.
To implement this mechanism, the US, New Zealand, France and Canada have already registered their ships. At this crucial moment, Greenpeace's repeated actions pose a serious threat to the future of the mechanism. If Taiwan doesn]t understand how to voice its determination to protect its national sovereignty, then it will be hard to imagine how registered ships from other countries will treat Taiwan's ships in the future.
Several things can be done to help remedy the situation.
First, the foreign ministry should send a letter to Taiwan's representative office in the Netherlands to be delivered to Greenpeace headquarters, lodging a protest and demanding a public written apology. If Greenpeace stands by its reckless actions, then Taiwan should use its position as a member of international fishery management organizations to block Greenpeace's status as an observer.
Second, the Coast Guard Administration should dispatch ships as soon as possible to closely monitor Taiwanese fishing boats, showing that Taiwan is sincere in protecting and managing fishing resources and following the laws of the sea and the relevant rules of western and central Pacific fishery groups. It would also show the international community that Taiwan is determined and able to defend its jurisdiction over vessels registered under the Taiwanese flag.
Third, the Fisheries Agency should point out that crews of boats of other countries are not allowed to board Taiwanese fishing boats in international waters without permission from the Taiwanese government, regardless of the boat's nationality. If this results in any damages, Taiwan should follow the precedent set by the "temporary enforcement line†standard between Taiwan and Japan, and the government should take all responsibility.
Chiang Huang-chih is an associate professor at National Taiwan University's College of Law.
TRANSLATED BY ANNA STIGGELBOUT
Concerns that the US might abandon Taiwan are often overstated. While US President Donald Trump’s handling of Ukraine raised unease in Taiwan, it is crucial to recognize that Taiwan is not Ukraine. Under Trump, the US views Ukraine largely as a European problem, whereas the Indo-Pacific region remains its primary geopolitical focus. Taipei holds immense strategic value for Washington and is unlikely to be treated as a bargaining chip in US-China relations. Trump’s vision of “making America great again” would be directly undermined by any move to abandon Taiwan. Despite the rhetoric of “America First,” the Trump administration understands the necessity of
US President Donald Trump’s challenge to domestic American economic-political priorities, and abroad to the global balance of power, are not a threat to the security of Taiwan. Trump’s success can go far to contain the real threat — the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) surge to hegemony — while offering expanded defensive opportunities for Taiwan. In a stunning affirmation of the CCP policy of “forceful reunification,” an obscene euphemism for the invasion of Taiwan and the destruction of its democracy, on March 13, 2024, the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) used Chinese social media platforms to show the first-time linkage of three new
If you had a vision of the future where China did not dominate the global car industry, you can kiss those dreams goodbye. That is because US President Donald Trump’s promised 25 percent tariff on auto imports takes an ax to the only bits of the emerging electric vehicle (EV) supply chain that are not already dominated by Beijing. The biggest losers when the levies take effect this week would be Japan and South Korea. They account for one-third of the cars imported into the US, and as much as two-thirds of those imported from outside North America. (Mexico and Canada, while
I have heard people equate the government’s stance on resisting forced unification with China or the conditional reinstatement of the military court system with the rise of the Nazis before World War II. The comparison is absurd. There is no meaningful parallel between the government and Nazi Germany, nor does such a mindset exist within the general public in Taiwan. It is important to remember that the German public bore some responsibility for the horrors of the Holocaust. Post-World War II Germany’s transitional justice efforts were rooted in a national reckoning and introspection. Many Jews were sent to concentration camps not
RSS