President Ma Ying-jeou on April 12 visited Suao township in Ilan County around noon to attend an event marking the second anniversary of the signing of a fisheries agreement between Taiwan and Japan. The president applauded the fishing industry for supporting the government's efforts to defend national sovereignty and protect the nation's fishing rights. He also updated those present on the achievements and significance of the second anniversary of the signing of the agreement.
In remarks, the president stated that 44 years ago when he was a student at the National Taiwan University College of Law, he participated in the movement to protect the ROC's sovereignty over the Diaoyutai Islets. After he became president, the government actively entered into negotiations with Japan regarding the fishing disputes between the two countries. Fisheries talks had begun back in 1996, but due to disagreements about sovereignty, no substantive conclusions were reached over the course of 16 rounds of talks in 16 years. The president explained that on August 5, 2012, which marked the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Peace between the Republic of China and Japan, the government unveiled the East China Sea Peace Initiative, which stresses that "although sovereignty over national territory cannot be compromised, natural resources can be shared." He went on to say that this framework urges related parties to resolve disputes through peaceful methods, thereby enabling the stable development in the East China Sea.
The president mentioned that on September 25, 2012, Suao Fishermen's Association Chairman Chen Chun-sheng (陳春生) mobilized members of the association to congregate in the waters surrounding the Diaoyutais to declare the ROC's sovereignty and assert their right to fish in that area. This movement attracted the participation of 58 fishing boats and 292 fishermen. The government also dispatched 12 Coast Guard vessels to protect the fishing boats the entire way and confronted 34 Japan Coast Guard vessels. This was the largest movement of its kind in the history of the ROC, and the fishing boats came extremely close to the islets themselves. It drew the attention of international media and succeeded in making the international community aware of the ROC's declaration of sovereignty over the Diaoyutais, as well as its resolute stance to defend nearby fishing grounds, the president said.
President Ma noted that the fisheries agreement between Taiwan and Japan was signed on April 10, 2013 amidst a show of unity by the people of the ROC. The spirit of "not ceding an inch on sovereignty, but making great progress in terms of fishing rights" that underlies the agreement gives fishermen an area twice the size of Taiwan in which to carry out their operations, so they needn't be concerned about interference when they are fishing in the nearly 70,000 square kilometers covered by the agreement, according to the president.
The president stated that April 10 marked the second anniversary of the signing of the Taiwan-Japan fisheries agreement. The benefits brought by this accord have been considerable, with the number of Taiwan fishing boats suffering interference by Japanese government vessels having declined markedly. Prior to the signing of the agreement, over 250 fishing disputes had arisen between 2006 and 2012. In 2013, the year following the signing of the agreement, the number of disputes had dropped to just one, and none last year. This proves that the agreement has effectively reduced related disputes between the two countries, the president said. In addition, the signing of the accord has elicited accolades from the international community. US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel and former Australian Minister for Defence David Johnston publicly applauded the agreement, saying that it was responsible for successfully resolving an international dispute in a peaceful manner.
President Ma stressed that the government's consistent position with respect to the East China Sea has been "safeguarding sovereignty, shelving disputes, pursuing peace and reciprocity, and promoting joint development of resources." He said that while the sovereignty dispute can be shelved temporarily, no compromise will be acceptable on this issue. For instance, a high school textbook in Japan recently asserted that the Diaoyutais are inherently Japanese territory. In response, the ROC's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) immediately raised a strong protest. "On this point we will not give in," the president said.
The president also stated that in order to defend national sovereignty and ensure the safety of fishing operations, the government upholds the principle that "wherever our fishermen are, the Coast Guard will be there; wherever the Coast Guard is, the Navy will also be there." Waters adjacent to Taiwan will be patrolled to ensure that fishermen feel secure in carrying out their activities without undue concern, he said. At the same time, so long as fishermen do not cross various borders, and operate within the law, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) and Ministry of National Defense will do all they can to protect them as a matter of course. "The government will defend their legal rights, but not their wrongdoing," he said, adding that the government will resolutely defend the nation's territorial seas and protect the nation's fishermen.
President Ma also recognized the MOFA, the Council of Agriculture, and the CGA for their work defending the rights of fishermen, and hopes that in the future, the ROC, Japan, and other neighboring nations will be able to achieve the goal of "peace, cooperation, and reconciliation" in their maritime fishing operations.