Taiwan is hoping to resume its long-stalled fishery talks with Japan around November, despite their current territorial dispute over the Diaoyutai Islands, a high-level Taiwanese official said Monday.??
“We hope to schedule the talks around November” but need to discuss the details further with Japan, said the foreign affairs official who requested anonymity.??
The issues on the agenda may include how to preserve fishing resources and more difficult matters such as establishing fishing boundaries with Japan, the official said.
??However, an agreement on the issue of fishing boundaries could take some time, the official added.??
Taiwan is also hoping to discuss with Japan provisional measures to ensure that Taiwanese fishing boats will be able to continue operating in Diaoyutais waters free of from interference from Japanese coast guard authorities, the official said. This will be central to the next round of talks, the official added.??
Taiwanese fishing boats have not been harassed by Japanese as frequently in recent years since Taiwan laid down the temporary law enforcement boundaries in the disputed area, according to the official.
