A cross-strait meeting on fishing and agriculture scheduled for Tuesday will include dialogue on the issue of illegal Chinese fishing in Taiwanese waters.
Head of the Mainland-based Taiwan Affairs Office, Zhang Zhijun, will be in attendance. Zhang, who is China’s top negotiator with Taiwan, says he plans to discuss issues surrounding fishing face-to-face with representatives of Taiwan’s fishing industry. These issues center on illegal Chinese fishing and the Chinese practice of dredging up and removing sand from Taiwanese waters around the outlying island of Kinmen. The sand that is not used in China is then resold to Taiwan for use in construction projects.
Minister of Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, Wang Yu-chi, has said that his ministry will continue to request the Mainland to put a stop to illegal activities in Taiwanese waters. He also said that officials at the Mainland Affairs Council are happy to hear that Zhang Zhijun plans to discuss the issues face-to-face with leaders in Taiwan’s fishing industry.