The first meeting of a dialogue mechanism between Taiwan and Japan on maritime cooperation has been postponed. The meeting had been set to get underway on Thursday but the Presidential Office on Tuesday confirmed that the date has been moved back.
The explanation given was that both sides had sought more time to prepare given the wide range of matters to be discussed. Presidential spokesperson Alex Huang rejected a suggestion that the delay was on account of controversy surrounding the Okinotori atoll.
Huang said, "As this is a rare opportunity for the two sides to restart this kind of discussion, we hoped that our preparations could be refined a little. There are actually many facets to the talks, including the possibility of building cooperation on marine ecology. Our side raised the idea of allowing more time to prepare, and the Japanese side agreed to accommodate this."
Huang said the talks will cover matters such as shipping and the protection of the marine ecology. There is still no confirmation however as to whether the matter of the Okinotori atoll will be discussed. Japan claims an exclusive economic zone around the reef, while Taiwan says the surrounding waters are international waters.
No date was given on Tuesday for when the talks will take place.