Taiwan and the Philippines are set to sign an agreement designed to guarantee the safety of fishermen operating in waters claimed by both sides.
The agreement will prohibit both sides from using violence at sea, establish an emergency incident reporting mechanism, and set up a system for quickly releasing detained fishermen.
The agreement comes nearly a year after the Kuang Ta Hsing No. 28 incident, in which a Philippine coast guard vessel opened fire on a Taiwanese fishing boat. One Taiwanese fisherman was killed, and relations between Taiwan and the Philippines were strained for some time afterwards.
Speaking on Wednesday, Foreign Minister David Lin said that the agreement will resolve most of the disputes between Taiwan and the Philippines over fisheries. However, Lin also said that with disputes over maritime borders and Exclusive Economic Zones still ongoing, a fisheries agreement like the one Taiwan signed with Japan last year remains out of the question.
Taiwan and the Philippines are expected to sign the agreement on April 10th.
