Premier Jiang Yi-huah is calling for a fisheries agreement between Taiwan and China. Jiang was speaking in a Cabinet meeting on Thursday following a report by Taiwan’s Coast Guard that Chinese fishing boats often trespass into Taiwanese waters.
Jiang said recently, more than 100 Chinese fishing boats have crossed over the border into Taiwanese waters off the outlying island of Kinmen. Jiang is calling for the Coast Guard to take stricter measures to stop violators, as they have affected the rights of Taiwanese fishing boats.
Cabinet spokesman Sun Lih-chyun spoke on behalf of Premier Jiang on the matter.
"A cross-strait fisheries agreement will help maintain the stability of the fishing industries of both sides and the good order of territorial waters," said Sun.
"We request that the Mainland Affairs Council and the Council of Agriculture evaluate the issue in their meetings. Before the agreement is inked, we ask that the Mainland Affairs Council remind Mainland China to pay attention to the problem and avoid any conflicts," he said.
Taiwan’s Coast Guard said Chinese fishermen have begun trespassing into Taiwanese waters more frequently since October 3. The Coast Guard said that as of Wednesday, it has caught 20 Chinese boats for trespassing. Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation, the top Taiwanese negotiator in the absence of official ties between the two sides, said it had asked its Chinese counterpart to deal with the problem on October 9.