• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

President hopes for early conclusion of talks with Philippines

ROC Central News Agency

2013/06/19 16:31:14

Taipei, June 19 (CNA) President Ma Ying-jeou expressed hope Wednesday that negotiations between Taiwan and the Philippines on fishing issues will be concluded early to promote peace and security in the South China Sea.

The negotiations are part of efforts by the two sides to resolve their dispute over the shooting death of a Taiwanese fisherman by Philippine Coast Guard officers May 9 in waters about 40 nautical miles east of Balintang Island in the northern Philippines, Ma said.

"If things go smoothly, the dispute may be brought to an end early," Ma said while receiving the U.N. representatives of Belize, Tuvalu, El Salvador and Dominican Republic.

"If the stalemate is allowed to continue, it will be unfavorable to the peace and security in the South China Sea and the relations between the two countries," he added.

He said the Republic of China is a peace-loving country and noted that the government put forth its East China Sea peace initiative last August that calls for a peaceful resolution of the territorial dispute over the Diaoyutai Islands.

Based on this spirit, Taiwan signed a fishery agreement with Japan in April that gave Taiwanese fishermen an additional 4,530 square kilometers near the Diaoyutais in which they can operate free of harrassment by the Japanese authorities, Ma pointed out.

Taiwan and the Philippines have begun talks on fishing rights in waters where the two countries' exclusive economic zones overlap that they hope will lead to a formal fishery agreement.

During the first meeting held June 14, the two sides reached an initial consensus on several issues, including not using force or violence to police fishing grounds, but they did not address the more sensitive issue of where Taiwanese fishermen can actually operate.

In the May 9 incident, Manila has contended that the Taiwanese boat was poaching in its waters, while Taipei argues that the boat was operating in Taiwan's exclusive economic zone.

(By Kelven Huang and Y.F. Low)