Fishery agreement will benefit PH, Taiwan

This is in response to the news reports titled “PH, Taiwan on way to mending relations” (Page 1, 6/18/13) and “Beijing warns PH on talks with Taipei” (Page 1, 6/19/13).

We are pleased to witness that the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the Philippines have been moving toward the objective of formulating a feasible resolution to the May 9 Guang Da Xing No. 28 (GDX28) shooting incident. Our two countries have been actively cooperating to restore our bilateral relations through the First Preparatory Meeting on Fisheries Cooperation held between the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines and the Manila Economic and Cultural Office in Taiwan last June 14 in Manila. The meeting has proven to be fruitful, with both sides pledging to avoid the use of force or violence in dealing with similar incidents in the future.

We agree with Muntinlupa Rep. Rodolfo Biazon who affirmed that “a fishery pact being worked out by the Philippines and Taiwan would be the first major step in resolving the (Philippines’) territorial disputes with its neighbors.” However, we disagree with his recommendation that “the territorial marking should be done through the respective local governments of the Philippines and Taiwan.” In the same manner, we disagree with Harry Roque who suggested that any agreement should be coursed between the Philippines and a “local government of China” in order “to avoid violating the Philippines’ one-China policy.”

We would like to point out that the Taiwan-Philippines fishery dialogue is aimed at preserving and advancing the interests of our two peoples and has nothing to do with the so-called “one-China policy.” Given the vastness of our overlapping exclusive economic zones, it has become imperative for the two countries to enter into a fishery agreement so that the safety of the two countries’ fishermen will be assured. Most importantly, such an agreement is designed to prevent a repeat of the May 9 shooting death incident. Facing the impending security issue in overlapping marine territories, a formal fishery agreement will undoubtedly benefit the fishermen of both sides.

Through our two countries’ efforts, we hope that the bilateral relations between Taiwan and the Philippines will be restored and that our respective national interest will be better protected.

—CHANG PONG, press director,

Taipei Economic and Cultural Office

in the Philippines