After signing the landmark fishing agreement with Japan earlier this week that allows Taiwan to enter the waters near the disputed Senkaku Islands, Taipei fishery authorities have said they will kick out any trawlers from mainland China that they catch in the area. When reporters asked the Taiwanese government this week what would happen if mainland Chinese fishing ships were encountered, the response from minister Wang Jin-wang was that the country’s coast guard would expel them.
The uninhabited territory in the East China Sea has been at the center of an ongoing dispute between the three countries, with China claiming the islets under the name of Diaoyu, while Japan now has control and now owns them after their purchase from private owners last September. Many analysts believe the area around the islands contain valuable minerals and natural oils, and suspect this is the real reason China has been so aggressive in escalating tensions, particularly since the country made no claims about the territory until a few decades ago.
However, maritime experts believe that the Tokyo government was eager to sign a deal with Taiwan, which has only ever shown concern about the value of the waters to its fishing industry, in order to prevent it from partnering with mainland China to defend its claims. The agreement states that Taiwanese fishermen will be able to operate in waters within 19 kilometers (12 miles) of the disputed islands, which is part of Japan’s exclusive economic zone. Taiwan’s Wang says that the law states all other vessels entering the waters will be expelled.
Meanwhile mainland China has expressed its anger over the deal, due to Japan’s violation of sticking to a one-China principle, or, in other words, treating Taiwan as a sovereign nation and not just an owned territory. Many in Taiwan have praised the deal with Japan as a way of securing benefits for its fishermen, while the foreign ministry has denied mainland criticism that it sold out its Diaoyu ownership claims in exchange for fishing rights.
2013 The Japan Daily Press