1)
One of the top stories from this past week was that Foreign Minister David Lin lodged a strong protest against Japan’s seizure of a Taiwanese fishing boat off the Okinotori reefs.
Lin delivered his protest during a meeting with Japan’s representative to Taiwan, Mikio Numata, on Friday.
Lin said that Taiwan has never recognized Japan’s claim to an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) surrounding the reefs.
Lin accused Japan of violating the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. He said the government is strongly opposed to Japan’s territorial claims, and that Taiwanese fishermen have the right to fish in international waters.
But Lin said Taiwan still hopes to resolve disputes through peaceful means.
2)
Also this past week, the government statistics office is reporting negative economic growth in Taiwan of -0.84% for the first quarter of 2016.
This is the third consecutive quarter of contraction for Taiwan’s economy. Taiwan is also in the second longest slump since the 2008 financial crisis, when the economy shrunk for five quarters in a row.
The statistics office says that despite the numbers, the economy has actually shown signs of improvement when adjusted for seasonal fluctuation. The office says that domestic consumption is at its best in five quarters and the economy is not at risk of slipping into a recession.
The office says that the question of whether economic growth will break 1% this year will depend on the global economy.
3)
And finally, this past week, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) heavyweight Frank Hsieh will serve as Taiwan’s new representative to Japan.
Hsieh told reporters on Wednesday that he aims to improve cultural and economic ties between Taiwan and Japan. He also said he hopes that Taiwan will one day become a strategic partner for Japan.