The government yesterday issued a statement asserting the nation’s claim over the Diaoyutai islands (釣魚台) and urging Japan to resume negotiations on fishing rights around the disputed islands.
The statement was issued in response to Japan’s detention of the crew of a Taiwanese fishing boat after a collision off the Diaoyutai islands on Tuesday.
Reading the four-point statement, Cabinet spokeswoman Vanessa Shih (史亞平) said that the Diaoyutai islands were part of Taiwan’s territory and nothing would sway the government from asserting its sovereignty claim over the islands.
The statement also outlined Taipei’s wish to resume negotiations with Japan as soon as possible to solve a longstanding dispute over fishing rights.
It said that the existing temporary enforcement line should be reviewed to ensure the safety of Taiwanese fishermen.
The government will conduct a review of coast guard facilities to ensure that they have adequate equipment to enforce the law and protect the safety of fishermen and fishing vessels, the statement said.
A Taiwanese fishing boat sank on Tuesday following a collision with a Japanese coast guard vessel off the Diaoyutai islands, leaving one member of the fishing crew injured.
Reports said that the boat sank 11km to the south or southwest of the islands, known as Senkaku in Japanese, after colliding with the Japanese patrol vessel.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lee Ching-hua (李慶華) yesterday urged Japanese authorities to immediately release the three crew members of the Taiwanese fishing boat and to offer an apology and compensation.
The trio are being held on Ishigaki, part of the Ryuku islands chain, for questioning.
The 13 recreational fishermen who were rescued from the sunken vessel returned home yesterday.
Lee urged the government to assert Taiwan’s sovereignty over the Diaoyutais and step up efforts to protect Taiwanese fishing boats in disputed waters.
Lee told a press conference that the Diaoyutais are under the jurisdiction of Ilan County.
Peter Tsai (蔡明耀), executive director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Committee on Japanese Affairs, told a press conference yesterday that “the government’s stance on Taiwan’s sovereignty over the Diaoyutais is consistent.”
Tsai said that after the collision, ministry officials immediately visited the crew members and fishermen on Ishigaki.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrew Hsia (夏立言) talked with Japan’s representative to Taiwan and asked Tokyo to treat the crew and fishermen well, Tsai said.
Hsia also urged Japan to investigate what happened to find out who was responsible, Tsai said, adding that the foreign ministry would continue to negotiate with Japanese authorities over the matter.
Taiwanese fishing boats are often chased away by Japanese patrol vessels in the disputed waters near the Diaoyutais, which Taiwan, Japan and China claim as their sovereign territory, but collisions there are rare.
Additional reportnig by Shih Hsiu-chuan
SCENARIOS: A potential conflict with Beijing would not be similar to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and China would target energy and food supplies, a researcher said China is likely to continue using economic and cyberoperations against Taiwan to force it to capitulate without resorting to a military attack, Fox News reported yesterday, citing the outcome of a tabletop exercise. Washington-based think tank the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) earlier this month held a tabletop exercise in Taipei focusing on Beijing’s use of economic and cybercoercion against Taiwan. The FDD mentioned an “anaconda strategy,” in which Beijing would likely use cyberwarfare and disinformation campaigns followed by a blockade or other measures to strangulate Taiwan, rather than attempting an invasion, the report said. A large-scale cyberattack would be
China sent 50 military planes and vessels to the vicinity of Taiwan in the 24 hours starting at 6am on Friday, while President William Lai (賴清德) was visiting Kinmen for the first time since taking office in May to mark the 66th anniversary of the 823 Artillery Bombardment. Flight paths released yesterday by the Ministry of National Defense showed that 38 military aircraft were detected in Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), the highest number recorded in recent weeks. The figure included 32 that crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait or its extension. Of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft
HSINCHU CASES: Five people among 35 who were reported being sick were still in hospital after eating at a vendor in a market in Jhubei, the local health agency said Thirty-five people have sought medical treatment for acute symptoms after allegedly eating banh mi (Vietnamese sandwiches) from a vendor in Jhubei City (竹北), the Hsinchu County Public Health Bureau said yesterday. The bureau said that since Saturday, it has received several reports of suspected food poisoning from hospitals. The vendor has been ordered to temporarily suspend its business, it said, adding that tests were being conducted to determine whether the people had food poisoning, with results expected in about two weeks. A preliminary investigation showed that the people who sought treatment had recently eaten banh mi at a vendor at a retail market
GOOD MODEL: Speaking at his book launch, Law said that Taiwan is the most democratic Chinese-speaking country, which is why Hong Kongers relocated here China has suffocated Hong Kong’s civil society and its next target could be Taiwan, Nathan Law (羅冠聰), cofounder of the disbanded pro-democracy Hong Kong political party Demosisto, said in Taipei yesterday. Law made the remarks at a launch in Taipei for his book When the Wind Blows — the Struggles for Freedom of Hong Kong (時代推著我們前行:羅冠聰的香港備忘錄). Law has been living in the UK since he fled Hong Kong in 2020, and the book is about his fighting for the cause of freedom in the area. He was granted political asylum in 2021. “Fleeing is a long and distressing process, but it also