President Ma dispatches another ship to Okinotori Reefs over fishing rights claims скачать в хорошем качестве

President Ma dispatches another ship to Okinotori Reefs over fishing rights claims

President Ma Ying-jeou today summoned Japanese Legislator Nobuo Kishi over Japan’s interception of two ships sent to protect Taiwanese fishing vessels in the areas around the Okinotori Reefs. Ma, who yesterday dispatched a third vessel as reinforcement, doubled down on his position that Japan cannot claim an exclusive economic zone around the tiny reefs and asked Kishi to relay his position to Abe himself. Nobuo Kishi, a member of Japan’s House of Representatives and the younger brother of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, led a delegation to Taiwan to attend the founding of a legislative exchange association between Taiwan and Japan at the Legislative Yuan. His visit coincided with a rise in tensions with Japan over its detention of a Taiwanese fishing vessel in an exclusive economic zone it claims around the Okinotori Reefs.Nobuo KishiJapanese House of RepresentativesThough Taiwan and Japan are very close, we have to admit that there are some problems (between us). I personally have a sincere hope that our two sides can together come up with a way to overcome these difficulties and thereby establish an even stronger and more durable relationship.To demonstrate its commitment to protecting Taiwan’s fishing rights, the Ma administration earlier dispatched two ships to conduct exercises near the Okinotori Reefs. In response, Japan sent its own ship to conduct patrols in the area, an action which led Ma to order the Coast Guard vessel “Yilan”, Taiwan’s largest patrol ship by tonnage, into the area as reinforcement. In his meeting with Kishi, Ma expressed wishes that the two sides could avoid conflict.Ma Ying-jeouPresidentOur attitude in protecting our fishing rights is not to yield, not to stir up conflict, and not to make provocations. This is because we are a country that cherishes peace, and so we will use peaceful methods in accordance with international law to resolve this international conflict.President Ma reiterated his assertion that the Okinotori Reefs are not islands, and that therefore Japan has no right to lay claim to a 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone around the reefs.