Taiwan's foreign ministry pushed back Tuesday against a bilateral maritime boundary deal taking shape between two of Washington's closest Asian allies, demanding consultation rights and warning that the negotiations could trample on Taipei's ocean claims — even as Beijing seized the moment to deploy coast guard vessels into waters east of Taiwan.
Taipei Caught Flat-Footed by Tokyo-Manila Pact
The dispute traces back to a summit in Tokyo last week, where Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announced an upgrade of their bilateral relationship to a "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership." Buried in the joint statement was a commitment to formally launch negotiations on delimiting their overlapping exclusive economic zones (EEZs) and continental shelves under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) — waters that lie east of Taiwan and overlap substantially with the 200-nautical-mile EEZ Taipei claims under international law.
Taiwan's initial response on May 29 addressed only the statement's language on Taiwan Strait peace and stability, making no mention of the maritime boundary issue. It was Beijing that moved first: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning declared the same day that the proposed delimitation zone lay east of "China's Taiwan Island," that China was "strongly dissatisfied and firmly opposed," and that the talks were "completely illegal and invalid."
Taiwan's foreign ministry issued a fuller response two days later, rejecting China's characterization and reiterating Taipei's longstanding position of "shelving disputes and pursuing joint development" in maritime disagreements. It explicitly stated that China had no standing to comment on the sovereignty rights over Taiwan's territory and adjacent waters.
China Deploys Coast Guard, Taiwan Calls It a Fabrication
The situation escalated further on June 1, when China's Coast Guard announced that a fleet including the vessel Daishan had entered waters east of Taiwan to conduct what Beijing described as law enforcement patrols — framing the deployment as a direct response to the Japan-Philippines announcement. Taiwan's Ocean Affairs Council rejected the move as illegitimate, stating that Taiwan's eastern waters fall entirely outside any lawful Chinese coast guard enforcement zone and that no rights could be acquired through unilateral proclamation. Beijing's invocation of "law enforcement," the council said, was an attempt to manufacture the appearance of jurisdiction where none exists.
Taipei Urges Consultation, Cites Existing Fisheries Frameworks
At a regular press briefing Tuesday morning, foreign ministry spokesperson Hsiao Kuang-wei said neither Japan nor the Philippines had yet disclosed the geographic scope of the proposed delimitation, and that Taipei had directed its overseas representative offices to seek details from both governments. He reaffirmed that Taiwan's territorial sovereignty and sovereign rights under international law are not subject to challenge.
Hsiao noted that Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara had stated publicly that any Japan-Philippines agreement would not be binding on third parties and was not intended to affect Taiwan's interests. Even so, given the high degree of overlap with Taiwan's claimed EEZ, Taipei would press both governments to account for that reality throughout the negotiation process and to consult with Taiwan rather than proceed unilaterally.
Taiwan, Hsiao added, holds existing fisheries agreements with both countries — a 2013 accord with Japan and a 2015 enforcement cooperation pact with the Philippines — and would continue engaging both through those channels to protect Taiwanese fishermen's interests.
Old Agreements, Unresolved Disputes
Those existing frameworks, however, cover limited ground. The Taiwan-Japan fisheries agreement, which has convened eleven rounds of committee sessions since its signing, is geographically confined to waters surrounding the disputed Diaoyutai Islands and does not extend to the broader EEZ zone now under negotiation.
The situation with the Philippines is similarly unresolved. Despite eight rounds of technical working group sessions under the 2015 pact, the two sides have yet to agree on enforcement jurisdiction in waters Manila claims as its contiguous zone. The Philippines has consistently asserted enforcement rights in those waters; Taiwan maintains the same area falls within its EEZ. Manila has acknowledged Taipei's position without making any formal commitment, and further consultations have yet to be scheduled. （Related： Exclusive | As Ebola Surges and Hantavirus Spreads, Ex-EU Chief Barroso Urges Taiwan to Prepare Now ｜ Latest ）
