On July 4, the Taiwan-registered recreational fishing boat Quanjiafu (全家福) sailed into seas surrounding the disputed Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台), flying the five-star red flag of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
Article 7 of the Ships Act (船舶法) stipulates that ships registered in the Republic of China (ROC), ie, Taiwan, are not allowed to fly a non-ROC flag, while Article 94 of the same law states that the shipping administration authority will impose a fine of between NT$6,000 and NT$60,000 on the owner, master or steerer of any ship that violates this provision.
When Japan Coast Guard boats approached the Quanjiafu, one of the people on board the Taiwanese boat came out and waved a PRC flag. This was surely a violation of the aforementioned law, because “flying a flag” does not only mean raising it on a ship’s mast, but also painting it on the sides of the ship, hanging it from the cabin and so on. That is how the term is understood around the world.
Having violated the rule that ROC ships should not fly non-ROC flags, the ship’s owner or master should face a fine, so why has our government done nothing about it?
Another point is that, according to the Coast Guard Authority’s (CGA) standard operating procedure for fishery protection, when Japanese vessels interfere with Taiwanese fishing vessels within the temporary law enforcement line, the government will dispatch ships to escort them and provide assistance. Accordingly, the CGA maintains boats on patrol on Taiwan’s side of the temporary law enforcement line at all times and in all weather. To ensure that patrol boats can respond quickly to any incident, one patrol boat takes over from another at the scene, rather than first returning to port.
However, the CGA never dispatches multiple patrol boats to escort a particular fishing boat, follow its every move and guard it closely. That is because lots of fishing boats go fishing in waters northwest of Taiwan and close to the Diaoyutai Islands. It would be impossible for Taiwan to escort every fishing boat, and even if it were possible, it would be a waste of resources.
However, on this occasion, as soon as the Quanjiafu left port, and before it had met with any interference, five patrol boats arrived to escort it all the way. Providing a Taiwanese boat flying the Chinese five-star flag with such an exclusive “five-star” escort service is not at all in line with the government’s standard operating procedure, or with the usual practice established over many years.
The government should explain which department or officials made such a peculiar decision, and why. Otherwise, any fishing boat that heads into waters northeast of Taiwan will be able to cite the recent incident as a precedent and demand that the authorities send out patrol boats to protect it.
What will be left of our authorities’ prestige if they fail to handle this matter properly? The government is duty-bound to investigate the incident and give the public a credible explanation.
Chiang Huang-chih is a law professor at National Taiwan University.
Translated by Julian Clegg
Two weeks ago, Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) raised hackles in Taiwan by posting to her 2.6 million Instagram followers that she was visiting “Taipei, China.” Yeoh’s post continues a long-standing trend of Chinese propaganda that spreads disinformation about Taiwan’s political status and geography, aimed at deceiving the world into supporting its illegitimate claims to Taiwan, which is not and has never been part of China. Taiwan must respond to this blatant act of cognitive warfare. Failure to respond merely cedes ground to China to continue its efforts to conquer Taiwan in the global consciousness to justify an invasion. Taiwan’s government
“If you do not work in semiconductors, you are nothing in this country.” That is what an 18-year-old told me after my speech at the Kaohsiung International Youth Forum. It was a heartbreaking comment — one that highlights how Taiwan ignores the potential of the creative industry and the soft power that it generates. We all know what an Asian nation can achieve in that field. Japan led the way decades ago. South Korea followed with the enormous success of “hallyu” — also known as the Korean wave, referring to the global rise and spread of South Korean culture. Now Thailand
This month’s news that Taiwan ranks as Asia’s happiest place according to this year’s World Happiness Report deserves both celebration and reflection. Moving up from 31st to 27th globally and surpassing Singapore as Asia’s happiness leader is gratifying, but the true significance lies deeper than these statistics. As a society at the crossroads of Eastern tradition and Western influence, Taiwan embodies a distinctive approach to happiness worth examining more closely. The report highlights Taiwan’s exceptional habit of sharing meals — 10.1 shared meals out of 14 weekly opportunities, ranking eighth globally. This practice is not merely about food, but represents something more
In an article published on this page on Tuesday, Kaohsiung-based journalist Julien Oeuillet wrote that “legions of people worldwide would care if a disaster occurred in South Korea or Japan, but the same people would not bat an eyelid if Taiwan disappeared.” That is quite a statement. We are constantly reading about the importance of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), hailed in Taiwan as the nation’s “silicon shield” protecting it from hostile foreign forces such as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and so crucial to the global supply chain for semiconductors that its loss would cost the global economy US$1
RSS