Taiwanese warships in islands claimed by Japan

Even China has laid a claim on Diaoyu, rich in fishing stocks and natural gas repositories.

Taipei (AsiaNews/agencies) – A Taiwan warship has sailed to the Diaoyu islands for an "inspection tour". The islands, known in Japan as  Senkaku, are claimed by Japan and China. Today, 21 June, Taiwanese defence minister, Lee Jye, and 15 members of parliament – including Wang Jin-pyng, parliamentary spokesman – sailed on a 3,800 tonne Knox class frigate "Fengyang" headed for the islands to make "an inspection of Taiwan waters". The frigate is escorted by other ships and planes at a distance, said military spokesman, Liou Chih-chien. The trip should last eight hours and wind up in the afternoon.

Wang said: "this area belongs to us historically, geographically and legally. We must defend our sovereignty, and protect the rights of our fishermen." Taiwanese fishermen have been chased out of the zone by Japanese coastguards, and Japan has often imposed fines and detained fishing boats which entered the 200 nautical-mile zone, rich in fishing stocks. Japan stakes a claim on the territory, which stretches as far as the north-east territorial waters of Taiwan. Fishermen have protested forcefully, insisting they were in Taiwan waters, they also threatened to ask China for help and to hoist its flag if their government did not protect them.

Their cause has been strongly supported by the political opposition. Ma Ying-jeou, Taipei mayor, even called for "military action to force [Japan] to reach a compromise."

The islands are the heart of a controversy involving Japan, China and Taiwan, not least because of the exploitation of rich natural gas repositories.

On Monday 20 June, Tadashi Ikeda, Japanese representative in Taipei, make known to the Taiwanese foreign affairs minister that Japan "did not consider it appropriate" to send a warship to protect fishermen and that "it could not guarantee it would not take any action if Taiwanese warships" crossed the border.

Even if the two states have no diplomatic links, they have always maintained amicable relations: Tokyo has always been considered as an ally against Beijing's reunification claims on the island. Besides, Japan is Taiwan's main trading partner.

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• diaoyu
• disputed
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