Taiwan wants fishing deal with Philippines

MANILA, Philippines - Taiwan is looking to arrange a fishing agreement with the Philippines as a way to restore peaceful relations between the two countries following the tension over the death of a Taiwanese fisherman.

Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou said in a report late Thursday that a fisheries pact with the Philippines can be patterned after the Taiwan-Japan agreement.

"The Republic of China government is peace-loving and dedicated to resolving the dispute peacefully ... The Taiwan-Japan fisheries agreement can serve as a fine example for reference," he told Tokyo-based Kyodo News.

The report of the parallel probe of Philippine and Taiwanese investigators on the May 9 fatal shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman in Balintang Channel off Batanes, meanwhile, is still being prepared for public release this week.

Ma, however, also maintained that the shooting was "intentional homicide," while urging that talks for a bilateral fishing pact start soon with President Benigno Aquino III's government.

The Philippine Coast Guard fired at the 65-year-old fisherman's boat when it crossed the channel off the northern shore of Philippine territory, in an area where economic zones of both nations overlap.

The incident caused some stress in bilateral ties, with Taiwan demanding an apology from the the Philippine government while imposing a travel alerts and labor sanctions against Filipino workers and travelers.

The Taiwan-Japan deal around the disputed Diaoyutai Islands allows Taiwanese vessels to extend fishing zones to 1,400 nautical miles from the country's enforcement line.

The agreement was penned in April, enabling the two countries to  operate within a designated zone without being subject to the jurisdiction of the other party.