The rights of Taiwan’s fishermen will not be affected by the Hague tribunal’s ruling on the South China Sea. That’s according to the Council of Agriculture on Thursday.
Of particular concern is the judgment by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) that the land features of the Spratly Islands are not islands but rocks. Thus no country is permitted to claim an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) around territory that it controls in the area.
This affects Taiwan, which holds Taiping Island, the largest natural island in the Spratlys. The ruling has caused concern for local fishing associations, who now fear interference from rival claimants like the Philippines and Vietnam.
Council of Agriculture deputy head Chen Chi-chung said the loss of exclusive economic rights around Taiping would bring annual losses of around US$30 million to the fishing industry. But Chen pointed out that the government has rejected the tribunal’s verdict and its fishery policy remains unchanged.
"We will ask the Fisheries Agency to give a full explanation of the situation to let everyone in the fishing industry know that while we are unhappy and do not accept this ruling, it will not affect our actual fishing rights," said Chen.
Meanwhile, DPP lawmaker Kuan Bi-ling said that Taiwan has never officially drawn up an EEZ around Taiping Island, nor did the PCA verdict give Taiping to a rival claimant. There is therefore no reason why the interests of Taiwan’s fishermen should be affected by the ruling, she said.
Exercising exclusive economic rights in the Spratlys would be a near impossibility in any case. Several countries claim and hold territory in the contested island chain. In addition to Taiwan, these include the Philippines, China, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei.