Taiwan Urges Japan and Philippines to Respect Its Maritime Rights in Talks on Exclusive Economic Zone

Taiwan has urged Japan and the Philippines to respect its maritime rights as the two countries prepare formal negotiations on a maritime boundary in waters east of Taiwan.

Taipei stated that it would seek assurances from both governments that any future agreement would not affect Taiwan’s rights and interests.

The Taiwanese Foreign Ministry stated that its sovereignty over its territory and associated waters was “indisputable” and that issues involving Taiwan’s maritime interests should not be decided without its participation.

The statement came after Japan and the Philippines announced plans to begin negotiations following a summit on May 28.

In a joint statement, the two governments agreed “to commence formal negotiations to delimit the maritime boundary of the exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf between the two countries, in accordance with international law.”

An exclusive economic zone (EEZ) gives coastal states rights over natural resources, including fisheries and seabed resources, up to 200 nautical miles from their shores.

Taiwanese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hsiao Kuang-wei said on June 2 that Taiwan would continue consultations with Tokyo and Manila under existing fisheries arrangements and would protect the interests of Taiwanese fishermen.

Hsiao also said that Taiwan believed that “both Japan and the Philippines have no intention of infringing on Taiwan’s rights” through the planned talks.

China, which claims democratically governed Taiwan as part of its territory, also criticized the negotiations. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on May 29 that the planned boundary talks infringed on China’s rights and interests.

Chinese authorities later said coast guard vessels were sent to waters east of Taiwan in response to the initiative.

Taiwan rejected Beijing’s criticism, saying on May 31 that “China has no right to comment on the territory and appertaining waters of the Republic of China (Taiwan).”

Japan has sought to reassure other parties that any agreement would apply only to Tokyo and Manila. Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said on June 3 that a future delimitation agreement “would not be legally binding on third parties.”

The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs did not respond to a request for comment from The Epoch Times by publication time.

The talks come against a long history of overlapping maritime claims and fishing disputes in the waters surrounding Taiwan.

Rather than attempting to resolve competing sovereignty claims, Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines have generally relied on fisheries agreements to manage practical issues, such as fishing access and law-enforcement cooperation.

In 2013, Taiwan and Japan signed a fisheries agreement after years of tensions around the Senkaku Islands, known in Taiwan as the Diaoyutai Islands. The deal established rules for fishing in parts of the surrounding waters and helped reduce confrontations between fishing fleets.

Taiwan and the Philippines reached a separate fisheries agreement in 2015 following the fatal shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman by Philippine Coast Guard personnel in disputed waters two years earlier. The arrangement created a framework for fisheries cooperation and mechanisms aimed at preventing similar incidents.

The planned Japan–Philippines negotiations represent a more formal effort to define maritime boundaries between the two countries under international law—a step that could affect an area where Taiwan also claims maritime rights.

Taiwan has repeatedly stated that it supports resolving maritime disputes through dialogue and in accordance with international law while maintaining that it must be directly involved in matters affecting its territory and surrounding waters.

Reuters contributed to this report.