President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) is to unveil a monument to his East China Sea peace initiative when he visits an islet near the disputed Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) today, ahead of the third anniversary of an agreement between Taiwan and Japan to address fishing disputes in overlapping waters.
Ma is to host the unveiling ceremony on Pengjia Islet (彭佳嶼), situated just over 30 nautical miles (55.5km) north of Keelung and 76 nautical miles west of the Diaoyutais in the East China Sea.
Under the administrative jurisdiction of Keelung City, Pengjia Islet is Taiwan’s northernmost territory that is closest to the contested island chain.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
After he arrives on the islet on an S-70C helicopter, Ma is to inspect a weather observation station and a patrol station, as well as tour a lighthouse. He is then to unveil the monument to his East China Sea peace initiative and give a speech.
Ma last visited Pengjia in September 2012, during which he laid out the details of his East China Sea peace initiative. Ma came up with the peace proposal in August 2012 amid escalating spats over the Diaoyutais, known as the Senkakus in Japan.
While reaffirming Taiwan’s claim to the Diaoyutais, Ma also called for all claimants to shelve their differences, pursue peace and reciprocity and jointly explore the resources in the area.
The Diaoyutais, about 120 nautical miles northeast of Taipei, are also claimed by China, which calls them the Diaoyu Islands (釣魚嶼).
In an effort to address fishing disputes in waters near the Diaoyutais, Taiwan and Japan signed a fishery agreement April 10, 2013. Under the terms of the agreement, Taiwanese and Japanese fishermen are allowed to fish in a designated area in the region.
Ma’s visit to Pengjia Islet will come just one day before the anniversary of the agreement. He is to be accompanied by senior government officials from the Ministry of the Interior, the Council of Agriculture and the Coast Guard Administration.
Personnel from the Coast Guard, the Customs Administration and the Central Weather Bureau are stationed on Pengjia. Meanwhile, Ma yesterday spoke at a workshop on the South China Sea at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Ma in his speech yesterday reiterated the government’s contention that from the perspectives of history, geography and international law, the Republic of China has sovereignty over the Spratly Islands (Nansha Islands, 南沙群島), Paracel Islands (Xisha Islands, 西沙群島), Macclesfield Bank (Zhongsha Islands, 中沙群島) and Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea, and their waters.
Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China when traveling in countries with close ties to Beijing, Taiwan Association of University Professors deputy chairman Chen Li-fu (陳俐甫) said on Friday. Chen’s comments came after China on Friday last week announced new judicial guidelines targeting Taiwanese independence advocates. Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Djibouti are among the countries where Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China, he said. The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday elevated the travel alert for China, Hong Kong and Macau to “orange” after Beijing announced its guidelines to “severely punish Taiwanese independence diehards for splitting the country and inciting secession.” Extradition treaties
Taiwan and Thailand have signed an agreement to promote and protect bilateral investment and trade, the Executive Yuan’s Office of Trade Negotiations (OTN) said on Friday. The agreement on “Promotion and Protection of Investments” was signed by Representative to Thailand Chang Chun-fu (張俊福) and Thailand Trade and Economic Office in Taipei executive director Narong Boonsatheanwong on Thursday, the OTN said in a news release. Thailand has become the fifth trading partner to sign an investment agreement with Taiwan since 2016, following earlier agreements with the Philippines, India, Vietnam and Canada, the OTN said. The deal marks a significant milestone in the development of
The entire Alishan Forest Railway line is to reopen for the first time in 15 years on Saturday, with tickets to go on sale at 2pm today. The historic railway from Chiayi to Alishan (阿里山) is finally set to reopen after the completion of the final No. 42 tunnel, Alishan Forest Railway and Cultural Heritage Office Deputy Director-General Chou Heng-kai (周恆凱) said. It is to run on a new timetable, with four trains daily, he said. The 9am train is to depart from Chiayi Railway Station bound for Shizilu Station (十字路), while the 10am train departing from Chiayi is to go all the
CROSS-BORDER CRIME: The suspects cannot be charged with cybercrime in Indonesia as their targets were in Malaysia, an Indonesian immigration director said Indonesian immigration authorities have detained 103 Taiwanese after a raid at a villa on Bali, officials said yesterday. They were accused of misusing their visas and residence permits, and are suspected of possible cybercrimes, Safar Muhammad Godam, director of immigration supervision and enforcement at the Indonesian Ministry of Law and Human Rights told reporters at a news conference. “The 103 foreign nationals stayed at the villa and conducted suspicious activities, which we suspect are activities related to cybercrime activities,” he said, presenting laptops and routers at the news conference. Godam said Indonesian authorities cannot charge them with conducting cybercrime. “During the inspection, we