Taiwan MOFA Urges Japan and Philippines to Include Taiwan in EEZ Talks

Central News Agency, Taipei, June 2. With Japan and the Philippines set to begin negotiations on their Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and continental shelf boundaries, concerns have arisen regarding potential damage to Taiwan's interests. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) announced today that it has instructed relevant overseas missions to request details on the "maritime delimitation" from the host countries and to urge them not to exclude or infringe upon Taiwan's rights, and to engage in consultations with Taiwan. MOFA spokesperson Hsiao Kuang-wei stated that Japan and the Philippines have not yet announced the scope of the delimitation. He emphasized that Taiwan will continue to negotiate maritime issues based on existing fisheries agreements with both countries to protect fishermen's rights. Furthermore, Taiwan strongly rejects China's attempts to use this case to assert its "One China" principle and project military power in Taiwan's eastern waters.