politics

China concerned as Japan, Taiwan sign fishing agreement for disputed isles

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"“We are extremely concerned about Japan and Taiwan discussing and signing a fishing agreement,”

Taiwan, unlike China is not on a military and territorial expansion program. Taiwan really is interested in use of resources. Whereas China is really interested in challenging the US Navy. So are the Chinese Maritime Surveillance Vessels going to harass Taiwanese fishing boats?

11 ( +13 / -2 )

Probably will Ossan. Maybe they will send ships around Taiwan now haha

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Not clear from this article what concerns them more, a fishing agreement involving islands they claim, Taiwan's sovereignty or both.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I think its more to do with Japan doing a dirty (from C's perspective) behind China's back with their more democratic renegade state. I saw a map on the TV, and the amount of concessions by Japan and Taiwan in terms of area is pretty minuscule on either side of the border - the actual fact that an agreement was signed is what is significant.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Taiwan is concerned about economic measures more than territorial issues. The Taiwanese company Foxconn is the largest manufacturer in the world with 1.2 million employees worldwide (the majority of which are in China).

Taiwan isn't going to let a fishing waters dispute get in the way of good business. China has all sorts of domestic pressures to contend with and fanning some nationalistic flames is never a bad move.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Now you are taking Japan and Taiwan. These islands have been fishing grounds for fishermen from China, Japan, Taiwan, The Philippines, so let it remain so. why should any government claim it? Male it a friendship zone for all fishermen to use. Stop being hostile, it is the Industrial Ruling Class that wants us all to hate each other.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

How do you like them apples?!

4 ( +4 / -0 )

For once, think Abes polic is right. Deal with Taiwan, and don´t cave to Pekings aggression.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

China sends a few ships and its aggressive, the American regime blows up half the world and kill innocence civilians and they are saints?

-8 ( +2 / -10 )

Am very pleased as well

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Good accomplishment! Anyway the main purpose for existence of any government is to add benefit and happiness of its people, isn't it?

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Remind me, isn't it the same Chinese government who repeatedly ask other countries not to interfere in their "internal affair"?

Are we talking about the guys here?

4 ( +6 / -2 )

Sorry:

Are we talking about the same guys here?

0 ( +3 / -3 )

“We are extremely concerned about Japan and Taiwan discussing and signing a fishing agreement,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a daily news briefing.

More diplomatic gold from Spokesman Hong. 'Extremely concerned' over a fishing agreement? If he feels China is being excluded, he's damn right, and for good reasons...

@vukodlok - Don't be so naive. Chinese fishing fleets are like vacuum cleaners that destroy fisheries - these types of agreements regulate the size of fishing catches, and the Chinese have shown that they don't abide by these agreements. The Koreans have send warships to drive Chinese fishing fleets from their waters because the Chinese have completely over-fished their own waters, and now the UN reports they are plundering international waters as well.

http://www.treehugger.com/ocean-conservation/china-overfishing-12x-their-official-catch-number-report-shows.html

Why should the Japanese invite Chinese fisherman in given this kind of track record?

4 ( +5 / -1 )

It would recommend working with China too on fishing rights, then with those excellent credentials, work with the smaller nations in the south sea who are suffering from China's "imperialism". No nation is an island, not even Japan.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

CraigHicksApr. 11, 2013 - 06:52PM JST It would recommend working with China too on fishing rights,

Totally disagree. China uses fishing rights and fishermen as part of it's territorial expansion program. It is NOT like other Asian countries. The Chinese government has an agency called the East China Seas Fisheries Research Agency, which on the surface is suppose to collect fisheries related data. In reality it has placed real time communications GPS systems on individual Chinese fishing boats and gives them instructions on when and where they are to sail. Chinese fishing boat activity around the Senkakus has been managed this way for years. The Chinese boat the rammed two JCG cutters in 2010 was sent there on such orders. It is all part of the multifaceted Chinese approach to territorial expansion.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

@Tony Ew

Your missing the point. This deal came down after the Tohoku Daishinsai anniversary in March long before Taiwan upgraded their Patrol Boats.

The Japanese don't forget the kindness of other Nations and Taiwan really came through for Japan. It took some time to move the deal through the Politicians, but in the end they felt it was good idea to extend the Olive Branch to Taiwan.

China has been left out of the deal, because their vicious tactics Back-Fired in their Faces!

Yea, they better be concerned because now they got a bigger Roadblock to deal with when they try to incur upon the Senkaku Islands.

You see...Communism just doesn't work in the Modern World.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Believe it or not, this is a political ploy using Taiwan to stir up more conflicts in the area. The concession on fishery agreement by Japan is only the front, next thing in the US’ vicious plan is to scrap “one China policy,” which will anger China more. This is what the “pivot to Asia” is all about that is to contain China. China is being bullied and we all know it.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

flowersApr. 12, 2013 - 02:55AM JST Believe it or not, this is a political ploy using Taiwan to stir up more conflicts in the area. The concession on fishery >agreement by Japan is only the front, next thing in the US’ vicious plan is to scrap “one China policy,” which will anger >China more. This is what the “pivot to Asia” is all about that is to contain China. China is being bullied and we all know >it.

No, we, as in he whole world, all know that China is bullying it's neighbors. Otherwise there would be no reason for containment would there?

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Throw away the politics for awhile. I think it's a great that 2 bickering neighbours signed this agreement! Good job Taiwan! Good job Japan!

2 ( +3 / -1 )

OssanAmerica, the reason for containment is to hold back China’s advancement in the world stage. As more and more countries are now beginning to understand and trust China, there is a shift in the world power. The US is losing its grip and the last attempt to hang on is by creating the theory of “China threat”. All the changes, crises and conflicts that have been happening are pointing to that direction, such as the TPP, territorial disputes, “one China”, North Korea, Mongolia visits, and the new US immigration policy. When over 100,000 innocent people were killed in Iraq because of the US invasion without any good reasons at all, you don’t see it as a criminal. Your biased view of China is obvious, for example, when China increased its military budget you see it as a threat, right? You failed to see that the US military budget is six times higher than China’s and the US has the number of nuclear warheads probably 10 times more than China’s. You just don’t see the devil behind the curtain. China is being bullied again. A good question would be why the US is so afraid of China, the main reason is China is advancing faster than expected and trying to create multi-polar world where the world powers are not concentrated in one country namely the US. That is why the containment comes in. Because of this fishery agreement, I bet we will hear about the change in “one China” position by the US a lot more in the coming days. If that turns out to be the case, please believe me what I said here.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

flowersApr. 12, 2013 - 06:34AM JST the main reason is China is advancing faster than expected and trying to create multi-polar world where the world powers are not concentrated in one country namely the US.

At the expense of what? Excessive unliveable pollution? I know you like to drink wonderful China's Yellow River water and breathe wonderful Beijing air. Chinese goverment continues to allows trashing of this planet called earth and it should be addressed to the UN. China does not care about the environment, its people or anything but money and power. It is sad that a capital of a China is so polluted, shows how much a government cares about the environment, much less the people who make up the government. And this is what China sets example for other nations to look up to on wonderful environmental protection that world should respect.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The fish are in favor of the treaty. The fish reason that, better that they've a sporting chance, than see their environment degraded if China were to have control of these waters.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

flowersApr. 12, 2013 - 06:34AM JST OssanAmerica, the reason for containment is to hold back China’s advancement in the world stage. As more and >more countries are now beginning to understand and trust China

I'm afraid you are not in touch with reality. China is on a massive military and territorial expansion program. They have declared their intent to replace the United States as the strategically dominant power in Asia. China is a one party authoritarian dictatorship and having displayed it's belligerence towards other Asian nations and the multiple territorial disputes, less and less countries now trust China. The world knows that the "peaceful rise" was a big lie from the get-go. Your propaganda is now outdated by about two years and really isn't worth trying to sell at this point.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

China have declared their intent to replace the United States as the strategically dominant power in Asia.

This is exactly good for asia and this world especially America's two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has inflicted half a million casualties and refugees that has brought the world in backwards! It's time to take over such a tragedy when that nation is in a steady declining! Americans has been in the myth of saving the world since the end of WW2 and it's time to see what is REAL!

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

@SaketownApr. 12, 2013 - 01:45AM JST

@Tony Ew

Your missing the point. This deal came down after the Tohoku Daishinsai anniversary in March long before Taiwan upgraded their Patrol Boats.

The Japanese don't forget the kindness of other Nations and Taiwan really came through for Japan. It took some time to move the deal through the Politicians, but in the end they felt it was good idea to extend the Olive Branch to Taiwan.

China has been left out of the deal, because their vicious tactics Back-Fired in their Faces!

Yea, they better be concerned because now they got a bigger Roadblock to deal with when they try to incur upon the Senkaku Islands.

You see...Communism just doesn't work in the Modern World.

My comment was removed due to too offensive/vulgar but see the reality doesn't not change doesn't matter it is deleted or not.

"Your missing the point. This deal came down after the Tohoku Daishinsai anniversary in March long before Taiwan upgraded their Patrol Boats."

So can we say after the water cannon offensive acts against Taiwanese ships and Taiwan start to take revenge by building bigger maritime patrol ships, isn't that clearly part of the Japanese calculus to defuse the tension with Taiwan? The Tohoku Daishinsai anniversary in March is just a nice convenient cover by Japan to paper over the underlying tensions whether you like to cover up the facts or not!

Taiwan should NOT go for half a loaf. Take the fishery agreement but make sure with no strings attached, start patrolling the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands. Let's see what Japan is going to do next!

Any casual observer can conclude that by giving Taiwan the fishery agreement in the disputed areas it simply means that Japan does not have sovereignty over the disputed Senkaku/ Diaoyu islands. This is the very clearest proof of Japan lack of sovereignty!

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

@Secular Beast Thank for the link, but those "vacuum ships" are exactly what needs to be banned by international law. Those of tools of industrial fishing, I am talking about the small fishing companies or the individual fishermen, they cannot compete with such vessels. The Chinese are being used as tools of the Industrial Ruling Class that seeks to consume every resource on the planet.

http://www.oceansentry.org/en/2557-sobrepesca-muerte-de-los-oceanos.html

1 ( +1 / -0 )

@sfjp330

That is an example of what I am talking about. The U.S. Industrial Elite was no longer able to pollute their own lands as much, so they just move operations to China. The Chinese people have been duped by their government. People, all people must wake up!

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

TonyeW: Any casual observer can conclude that by giving Taiwan the fishery agreement in the disputed areas it simply means that Japan does not have sovereignty over the disputed Senkaku/ Diaoyu islands. This is the very clearest proof of Japan lack of sovereignty!

Using your logic, an individual who rents his land to a farmer is not the owner. China is. End of argument, thank you....

I don't know the terms of the agreement, but it seems clear that Japan "gave" Taiwan fishing rights. Taiwan agreeing to abide by the deal is plainly recognition of Japan's ownership and the source of China's exasperation.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

viking 68Apr. 12, 2013 - I don't know the terms of the agreement, but it seems clear that Japan "gave" Taiwan fishing rights. Taiwan agreeing to abide by the deal is plainly recognition of Japan's ownership and the source of China's exasperation.

Pls don't make conclusion groundlessly since you don't know the terms! The truth for this agreement is that both Taiwan and Japan have the understanding of the difficult situation so they didn't touch anything about sovereignty of the isles in this agreement, therefore both sides didn't mention anything within 12 NM of the isles and that's why this agreement can be achieved. Personally I think it's good example for solving difficult international issue, i.e. to solve problem peacefully instead of militarily.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

@viking68

I think yosun thinking is very rational. There is no example of any country in the world giving the fishing rights generosity that Japan gives to Taiwan. Name one and I reconsider my suspicion that Japan do this not out of friendship but out of political and business considerations. The world should not be hoodwinked by such small token of friendship. Business is business, friendship only goes so far.

If Japan want to show more generosity, give the disputed islands back to Taiwan which I believe is the rightful owner of Senkaku/Diaoyu islands. This got nothing to do with China!

@yosun

I appreciate your rational thinking and I actually think as a practical matter all three parties should share the disputed resources without discussing sovereignty!

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

I don't know the terms of the agreement, but it seems clear that Japan "gave" Taiwan fishing rights. Taiwan agreeing to abide by the deal is plainly recognition of Japan's ownership and the source of China's exasperation.

Viking68. Your are absolutely correct in that it is exactly the voice of the activists in Taiwan in that this deal essentially is a de facto recognition by Taiwanese government that Japan maintains sovereignty over the islands.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Tony Ew Apr. 12, 2013 - 09:35PM JST If Japan want to show more generosity, give the disputed islands back to Taiwan which I believe is the rightful owner of Senkaku/Diaoyu islands. This got nothing to do with China!

This got nothing to do with China? Taiwan's coast guard will kick out China's mainland trawlers caught in areas covered under a new Taipei-Tokyo fishing rights agreement. The deal was made because Japan sought to divide Beijing and Taipei. Taiwan was willing to co-operate, because Taiwan also has its own political goal.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

@sfjp330Apr. 13, 2013 - 03:19AM JST

Tony Ew Apr. 12, 2013 - 09:35PM JST If Japan want to show more generosity, give the disputed islands back to Taiwan which I believe is the rightful owner of Senkaku/Diaoyu islands. This got nothing to do with China!

This got nothing to do with China? Taiwan's coast guard will kick out China's mainland trawlers caught in areas covered under a new Taipei-Tokyo fishing rights agreement. The deal was made because Japan sought to divide Beijing and Taipei. Taiwan was willing to co-operate, because Taiwan also has its own political goal.

China will just give a Big Yawn at this 'speck of dust' agreement. China is not so silly to be entrapped by this game Japan plays. If Japan want to really riled up China, GIVE the whole disputed islands to Taiwan. That will be a sign of real friendship! Otherwise this is really not even newsworthy at all!

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

Tony Ew Apr. 13, 2013 - 05:37AM JST China will just give a Big Yawn at this 'speck of dust' agreement. China is not so silly to be entrapped by this game Japan plays.

Sure was a quick yawn by your country. China often has no problems with Taiwan signing trade and business deals with the international community, but you notice how quickly China denounces any agreements or actions which portray Taiwan as a sovereign country.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Tony EwApr. 12, 2013 - @yosun- I appreciate your rational thinking and I actually think as a practical matter all three parties should share the disputed resources without discussing sovereignty!

Thanks for your understanding and support!

nigelboyApr. 12, 2013 - that this deal essentially is a de facto recognition by Taiwanese government that Japan maintains sovereignty over the islands.

I prefer to regard it as Abe government's friendly gesture and I suggest you not to consider this matter by cold war type rigid thought even it seems match your icon of bronze head.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

This agreement is making the present situation getting more complicated.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

ZataraApr. 13, 2013 - 06:02PM JST This agreement is making the present situation getting more complicated

Only for China. It simplifies it for everyone else.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Taiwan have just successfully passed the 1st stage, the rights of fishing ground around Senkaku Island. What's the next move? Of course, they want the sovereignty of the Island. But this claim will take later. Now, new problem has been created after this agreement. The Okinawan people has a competitor and their fishing ground becomes limited due to overlapping. And what if both fishermen ships accidentally collided each other during fishing? Are they matured enough to settle it down heartily? Maybe their nationalist pride / feelings will takes place. So this is what it makes the situation complicated.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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