MOFA Minister Wu gives joint interview to European media

2023/12/29

President Tsai Ing-wen presented the Order of Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon to Shigeru Kitamura, former secretary general of Japan’s National Security Secretariat Dec. 26 in recognition of his contributions to advancing Taiwan-Japan relations.
 
During a ceremony hosted at the Presidential Office in Taipei City, Tsai said Taiwan and Japan are important partners who worked together over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic and have continued to enhance economic and trade relations and strengthen industrial cooperation.
 
The strong relationship is demonstrated by the fact that two-way trade and Japanese investment in Taiwan both hit all-time highs last year. Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also remarked on the flourishing bilateral relations at the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting last month, noting particularly that semiconductor sector relations are burgeoning.
 
As this year’s Group of Seven chair, Japan’s inclusion of the importance of cross-strait peace and stability in joint statements released following G7 foreign ministers’ and summit meetings is deeply appreciated, Tsai said, adding that Taiwan will continue to work with the East Asian partner to maintain regional peace and stability and realize a free and open Indo-Pacific.
 
In response, Kitamura said Taiwan and Japan are facing an increasingly severe security environment. The two sides will jointly enhance their ability to deter external threats in areas spanning defense, diplomacy, economy, intelligence and technology to pursue free and open democratic values, he added.


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