President Tsai Ing-wen has vowed to protect the rights of Taiwanese fishermen operating around the Diaoyutai Islands.
The Diaoyutai Islands are a small and uninhabited island group in the East China Sea. They are also claimed by China and Japan.
The dispute over the islands came into the spotlight once again on Monday, when Japan’s Ishigaki Municipal Assembly voted to change the islands’ administrative designation. A day later, a Taiwanese fishing boat was photographed and chased away by two Japanese patrol boats in overlapping waters.
On Wednesday, President Tsai said that the government has already ordered the coast guard to protect Taiwan’s fishing rights and the safety of Taiwan’s fishermen in the area. The administration accused Japan of violating a fisheries agreement, and says that it will handle the incident involving the fishing boat through diplomatic channels.
Tsai called on all parties involved to stop unilateral action and help maintain regional peace and stability together.