The seventh Taiwan-Philippines Technical Working Group meeting under the Agreement Concerning the Facilitation of Cooperation on Law Enforcement in Fisheries Matters took place July 30 in Taipei City to deepen bilateral cooperation on fishery development, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Aug. 7.
The meeting was jointly hosted by Wallace Minn-gan Chow, head of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines, and Cheloy E. Velicaria-Garafil, chairman and resident representative of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office. Deputy Agriculture Minister Huang Chao-chin, counterpart Drusila Esther E. Bayate, fishery officials from the two sides, the MOFA and Coast Guard Administration staff also took part.
According to the MOFA, the two countries agreed to update hot line information and reaffirmed the one-hour advance notification regulated in the 2015 pact, which means one party should give fisheries and coast guard agencies as well as representative offices of the other side a one hour notice before taking law enforcement action against a fishing vessel which is believed to be operating illegally in the overlapping exclusive economic zones.
The participants exchanged views on fishery disputes that occurred earlier this year and discussed issues spanning cooperation to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. They further discussed introduction of Philippine fish species into Taiwan, as well as aquaculture collaboration, the ministry said.
The MOFA took the opportunity to thank Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. for conveying concern over regional peace and stability during a recent interview with an Indian media outlet. According to the ministry, Marcos said that if there was a confrontation across the Taiwan Strait, it would be impossible for the Philippines to stay on the sidelines given its geographic proximity to Taiwan.
A statement released by the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs Aug. 8 once again emphasized the importance of cross-strait peace and stability, the MOFA said. The Ministry will ensure the safety and welfare of Philippine nationals in Taiwan and continue to strengthen the partnership between the two countries in the fields of security, bilateral and multilateral cooperation, it added. (YCH-E)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw