TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Japan-Philippines maritime boundary talks cannot affect Taiwan’s sovereign rights under international and maritime law, Coast Guard Administration Director-General Chang Chung-lung (張忠龍) said Thursday.
The discussions also do not affect existing agreements such as the Taiwan-Japan Fisheries Agreement or the Taiwan-Philippines fisheries law enforcement cooperation agreement, Chang said, CNA reported.
Japan and the Philippines announced last week that they would begin negotiations on the delimitation of their exclusive economic zones and continental shelf boundaries.
Chang said reports claiming the Coast Guard Administration had been criticized for failing to protect Taiwan’s fishing rights and had “passed the ball to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs” were “completely inconsistent with the facts.”
Chang pledged that Taiwan will continue maritime patrols and fishing protection operations under existing legal frameworks to safeguard fishermen’s interests. “No country can infringe on our sovereignty,” he said.
The Coast Guard Administration will focus on defending Taiwan’s maritime rights and maintaining freedom of navigation, and will expel any vessel that asserts jurisdiction in Taiwan’s waters, he added.
The foreign ministry on Tuesday urged Japan and the Philippines to respect Taiwan’s maritime rights as the two countries prepare to discuss sea boundaries in areas that partly overlap with Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone.
