Tsai receives Japan parliamentary delegation, pledges to deepen bilateral ties

2022/08/25

President Tsai Ing-wen received a Japanese parliamentary delegation at the Presidential Office Aug. 23 in Taipei City, pledging to deepen cooperation with the steadfast partner.
 
Keiji Furuya, chair of the Japan-ROC Diet Members’ Consultative Council, and fellow lawmaker Minoru Kihara arrived Aug. 22 for a three-day visit.
 
According to Tsai, the council is an important bridge for Taiwan-Japan relations. The chairman’s visit once again demonstrated support for Taiwan in Japan’s National Diet, which is sincerely appreciated by the government and people, she said.
 
The president said a shining example of this unwavering support was the unanimous passage of a resolution by the House of Councilors backing Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Assembly, with the support of the council and the chairman himself.
 
Taiwan and Japan share a commitment to the values of freedom and democracy and enjoy a partnership of critical importance to security in the Indo-Pacific, the president said. The government is committed to expanding collaboration with Japan across the board to promote peace, stability and prosperity in the region and beyond, she added.
 
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and China’s recent military exercises in the Taiwan Strait continue to threaten stability in the region, the president said, calling on the global community to work as one to stop authoritarian expansion and provocation.
 
In response, Furuya said peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is not only crucial to ensuring Japan’s security, but also an important foundation for peace and stability across the global community.
 
Citing the late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s words, Furuya said if Taiwan has a problem, then Japan has a problem, and the Japan-U.S. alliance also has a problem.
 
China’s military threats are absolutely unacceptable to Taiwan and Japan. Led by Japan and the U.S., the free world must work closely together to thwart unilateral attempts by Beijing to change the status quo, he added.


Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)