Taiwan has dispatched two patrol vessels to waters around the Okinotori reefs. The goal is to ensure the fishing rights of Taiwanese boats in international waters.
The move comes less than a week after a Japanese patrol boat seized a Taiwanese fishing vessel – the “Tung Sheng Chi 16” – in that area last Monday. Japanese authorities say the boats were operating in Japan’s economic waters and have asked for a security deposit for the crew’s return. But Taiwan says that the Okinotori reefs are not islands, and that Japan therefore is not entitled to a 200 nautical mile Exclusive economic Zone surrounding them.
The two Taiwanese patrol vessels left Kaohsiung harbor in southern Taiwan on Sunday morning. Authorities say that the boats are armed, but that they also will be operating under the principles of “no evasion, no conflict, and no provocation.”
The patrol boats are also equipped with electronic signs in Chinese, English and Japanese which say “There is freedom to fish on the high seas, please do not interfere.” During the mission, which will last about one month, the coast guard will board and inspect fishing boats in keeping with international maritime law.
Taiwanese officials say they are hoping to solve the dispute in a rational and peaceful manner. But they say that if they encounter Japanese patrol vessels acting in an unfriendly manner, by creating waves or by using water jets, then Taiwan’s coast guard will respond in kind.
Every year between 100 and 200 Taiwanese fishing boats travel through the waters in question. Taiwan’s coast guard sends out regular patrols in July and August to conduct checks and monitor the situation in the region.