Nov 29, 2012

Taiwan: Memorandum Of Understanding On Industry Cooperation With Japan


Ties between Japan and Taiwan are strengthening with a new memorandum of understanding (MOU) on industry cooperation and a mutual recognition agreement on electronics.

Below is an article published in Focus Taiwan:

Taiwan and Japan signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on industry cooperation and a mutual recognition agreement on testing and verification services for electrical machinery and electronics products Thursday [29 November 2012], marking continued close cooperation between the two countries.


The deals were signed by Liao Liou-yi, chairman of Taiwan's Association of East Asian Relations, and Mitsuo Ohashi, chairman of the Japan Interchange Association, a quasi-official organization authorized by the Japanese government to handle relations with Taiwan in the absence of bilateral diplomatic ties.

Liao said that the two sides are also scheduled to sign an MOU on the regulation of medicine by year-end, which will help provide closer regulatory support between both sides.

The new deals marked a further enhancement of ties between the two sides, which signed an investment pact, an open sky agreement, and an MOU on the Patent Prosecution Highway program in September 2011 to speed up the process of patent screening.

Also Thursday [29 November 2012], Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that a preparatory meeting on the 17th round of Taiwan-Japan fishery talks will be held in Tokyo Friday [30 November 2012].

Officials from the Fisheries Agency have already left for Tokyo, the ministry added.

Fisheries Agency Director-General James Sha said the talks will focus on defining the overlapping territories between the two sides.

The aim is to shelve territorial disputes to allow fishing operations to be carried out smoothly, he told CNA.

Taiwan and Japan last held talks on fishing rights in their overlapping territorial waters in 2009, but the talks have been stalled since then, partly due to territorial disputes involving the Diaoyutai Islands.

The Diaoyutais lie about 100 nautical miles northeast of Taiwan. They have been under Japan's control since 1972, but are also claimed by Taiwan and China.

Taiwanese fishermen consider the waters around the islands to be their traditional fishing grounds, but they are routinely chased away from the area by the Japanese authorities when they venture close to what Japan sees as its territorial waters.