Amid fresh confrontation between China and Japan over the disputed Diaoyutai islets (釣魚台), a group of activists from Hong Kong and Taiwan gathered in Taipei yesterday urging the Taiwanese and Chinese governments to jointly take a “stronger stance” against Japan over the islands.
“Without government support on both sides of the Strait, efforts by civilian associations of [Taiwan, China and Hong Kong] alone will not be enough and will be to no avail,” Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei County Councilor King Chieh-shou (金介壽) said at a forum discussion on the Diaoyutai issue.
Taiwan, China and Japan all claim possession of the islets, known as the Senkaku islands in Japanese, which are surrounded by rich fishing grounds and potential natural gas deposits. A Sept. 7 collision between a Chinese fishing boat and two Japanese patrol ships near the disputed area sparked a new wave of controversy and diplomatic tensions between Beijing and Tokyo.
A Taiwanese fishing boat, Hsin Teh Yi No. 186, was seized by Japan that same day for allegedly fishing illegally in the disputed area and another Taiwanese fishing boat, Feng Jung No. 106, was held the next day for the same reason. They were both released after a fine was paid.
“The governments on both sides of the Strait must set aside political disagreements and speak with one voice over the Diaoyutai islands lest Japan avails itself of the opportunity,” said Zheng Hailin (鄭海麟), a researcher with the Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies of the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Huang Hsi-lin (黃錫麟), executive director of the Chung Hwa Baodiao Alliance, said activists could set sail from a fishing port in northern Taiwan “within days” — as early as today — for the islands.
Despite Taiwan’s claim and support from President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who sent a congratulatory message to the forum, Huang said it appears the government is trying to prevent activists from staging a protest.
“Security checks at some fishing ports have been tightened and boat owners have been discouraged by the authorities from chartering their boats for us,” he said.
Huang said the protest aims to “highlight the fishing rights of Taiwanese fishermen in shotai islands waters” rather than sovereignty, an issue which he said can only be resolved by official multilateral negotiations.
Given that some ports have been “basically sealed off,” the protesters decided to announce the time and location of their departure only at the last minute.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
RSS