President Ma Ying-jeou met on the morning of September 27 with fishermen who embarked on a voyage to the Diaoyutai Islets on September 25 to bring attention to their fishing rights in the seas around the disputed islets. In addition to expressing his admiration for the patriotism of the fishermen and the Coast Guard personnel that accompanied them on the journey, the president praised the peaceful nature of the activity, in which the fishermen proclaimed the ROC's sovereignty over the islets and their right to fish there. President Ma reiterated that the Diaoyutais are part of the ROC's national territory, and called on the Japanese government to give thought to what has taken place, as Japan's actions led to the largest protest ever by fishermen from Taiwan. He said that Japan should admit its errors and cherish its friendship with the ROC, and that the two sides should work together to resolve the dispute in order to ensure the rights of Taiwan's fishermen in the area.
In remarks, the president stated that the Diaoyutai Islets were designated as appurtenant to Taiwan 138 years prior to Taiwan's incorporation as part of China in 1684. He added that in 1722 Huang Shujing (黃淑璥) produced the Taihai shi cha lu 《臺海使槎錄》 [Record of missions to Taiwan and adjacent waters], and in 1872 the Taiwan Prefect Zhou Maoqi (周懋琦) wrote his Quantai tushuo 《全臺圖說》[An illustrated description of Taiwan]. Both of these books stated that "in the seas north of Taiwan lies the islet of Diaoyutai, where a dozen large ships may anchor." At the time, the president said, the Diaoyutais were under the administration of Kavalan Subprefecture, known today as Yilan County. This clearly indicates that the Diaoyutais are part of ROC territory, he said, adding that the Diaoyutais are appurtenant to Taiwan and are not Japanese territory.
President Ma stated that the seas around the Diaoyutais are full of mackerel, skipjack tuna, and pompano, and the area has been a traditional fishing ground for fishermen from the ROC for hundreds of years. The president pointed out that since the controversy over the Diaoyutais emerged in the 1970s, fishermen from Taiwan who fish in the seas around the islets have frequently been obstructed in their activities and expelled from the area by the Japanese Coast Guard. In some instances, vessels have been detained and fines were levied. President Ma said that fishermen from the ROC have thus been wronged and insulted for more than four decades now. He noted that two days earlier, on September 25, the fishermen staged an activity to protest and stand up for their rights. Taking part in the event were 52 fishing vessels, 292 fishermen, and 12 vessels from ROC Coast Guard. In addition, over 60 members of the media joined in to report on the story. This activity effectively demonstrated the importance of cooperation between the fishermen and the government, and also was the largest protest of its kind in history, he said, adding that the protesters got as close to the Diaoyutais as they could and the incident received a lot of international press coverage. They successfully proclaimed to the world the ROC's sovereignty over the islets and defended their right to use their fishing grounds. The president said the activity expressed the resolute stance that the fishing rights of the ROC's fishermen should not be interfered with.
In response to the activity held on September 25 to bring attention to the fishing rights of the ROC, the president explained the stance of the government. He said that, first and foremost, the activity was peaceful and was organized by the fishermen themselves. In addition, those taking part did not bear arms, and they declared sovereignty over the islets and their desires in a non-hostile manner. Furthermore, at no time was there any type of attack, he said. The president said that this movement to protect Taiwan's fishing grounds was carried out under the principle of "no provocation, no conflict, and no avoidance." When vessels from the Japanese Coast Guard interfered with the fishermen, vessels from the ROC Coast Guard immediately moved to the front to mediate. It was only when the Japanese vessels sprayed water cannon that the vessels from the ROC responded in kind, the president said, explaining that at no time did the ROC take the initiative in attacking. Furthermore, he said that resorting to the use of water cannon constituted a defensive move by the ROC Coast Guard vessels. The ROC side was self-restrained, he said, adding that the objective of the journey was not to engage in conflict with Japan, but to proclaim to the entire world in a peaceful manner the ROC's sovereignty over the Diaoyutais and the fact that the area is a fishing ground for ROC fishermen. Disturbing ROC fishermen in their fishing activities is unfair and unreasonable, so the ROC has no choice but to demand that Japan improve its handling of the situation.
President Ma emphasized the concept that "the Coast Guard will go wherever fishermen go." In light of the collision and sinking of the Lien Ho sports fishing boat in 2008 and the Chuan Chia Fu vessel standoff earlier this year, the government has already formulated a plan to upgrade Coast Guard Administration equipment. A total of NT$24 billion has been approved to be spent on upgrading the vessels. To date, eight vessels weighing a total of 3,600 tonnes have been delivered, the president said. It is expected that by 2016 when the president leaves office, another 10 vessels weighing 14,000 tonnes will have been delivered. By 2017, the ROC will have a total of 41 Coast Guard vessels, which will improve the patrolling of the nation's seas, he said. President Ma reiterated that the ROC is a peace-loving nation that will never be the provocateur in disputes. However, he pointed out that Japan's action regarding the Diaoyutais recently has generated quite a panic among the nation's fishermen, who are worried that they will lose a traditional fishing ground. This is why the September 25 protest was staged, the president said, furthermore stating that the Japanese government was the instigator of the incident from the start.
The president reiterated the ROC's resolute attitude regarding the issue of the Diaoyutais. First, he said, we are determined to defend the sovereignty of the nation and our fishing rights. Without sovereignty over the area, we would not have any fishing rights, he explained. Second, international disputes should be handled peacefully and all possible efforts should be made to avoid the use of force. And third, all parties involved should jointly develop the resources of the area. President Ma urged the Japanese government to critically examine its actions with an eye to these three points. He said that on August 5 he proposed the East China Sea Peace Initiative and affirmed the ROC’s intention to safeguard sovereignty, shelve disputes, pursue peace and reciprocity, and promote joint exploration and development. With regard to the proposal and the call he made that day, the president said he hopes that both sides will jointly recognize the existence of a dispute involving the sovereignty of the Diaoyutais, and that, within that context, both sides will jointly shelve the dispute, and jointly discuss means to develop resources in the area. The Japanese government has unjustly occupied the Diaoyutai Islets for 117 years, the president said, and to this day Japan still will not recognize the existence of a dispute, he said. Furthermore, only after Japan took steps to nationalize the Diaoyutais did it recognize that it had miscalculated the situation. To compensate for those errors, it should immediately engage in talks with the ROC and should refrain from again disturbing the movements of Taiwan fishermen in the area, so that both sides can share in the natural resources, the president said. The two sides should formulate a management and conservation mechanism, he added, so as to ensure sustainable fishery resources in the area, and to turn the East China Sea into "a sea of peace and cooperation."
President Ma pointed to 2011 as an example, stating that only 460 Taiwan fishing boats fished in the seas around the Diaoyutais that year, achieving an aggregate catch of 3,400 tonnes. Meanwhile, some 1,200 vessels fished in waters around three islets off the north shore of Taiwan (Pengjia Islet, Mianhua Islet, and Huaping Islet), catching a total of 77,000 tonnes of fish. The president said these figures show that Taiwan fishermen worry about the Japanese government harassing or expelling them if they fish around the Diaoyutais. The president urged the Japanese government to halt that activity and to work together in developing the resources of the area. He said that the ROC pledges not to over-fish in the area and will comply with international regulations and arrangements in the hope of resolving the dispute. President Ma also reiterated that the ROC government will always stand together with the nation's fishermen and work together with them to protect their right to make use of traditional fishing grounds.
Lastly, the president stressed that over the past four years, the "special partnership" between Taiwan and Japan has made relations between the two countries the best they've ever been in the past 40 years. He called on Japan to cherish the friendly relationship with Taiwan, and said he hopes that both sides will jointly negotiate a solution that will guarantee the rights of Taiwan's fishermen. The president once again expressed praise for the activity that was held on September 25 to protect the rights of Taiwan's fishermen, and urged the public to work together with the government to find a peaceful resolution that will benefit our nation's fishermen.
Chen Chunsheng (陳春生), the chairman of the Suao Fishermen's Association and the convener of the Diaoyutai Fishing Rights Protection Preparatory Committee, led persons participating in the September 25 activity to the Presidential Office to meet President Ma. Also attending the meeting were Legislative Yuan President Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), Legislative Yuan Vice President Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱), Vice Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺), and the heads of the National Security Council, Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of National Defense, Overseas Chinese Affairs Council, Coast Guard Administration, Mainland Affairs Council, and Council of Agriculture.