President Lai welcomes Akie Abe

2025/02/25

President Lai Ching-te vowed to deepen the partnership between Taiwan and Japan which is based on the shared values of democracy and freedom.

Lai made the remarks while receiving Akie Abe Feb. 21 in the Presidential Office in Taipei City. Abe, the widow of Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, had earlier delivered a keynote at the Halifax Taipei forum in which she spoke on global democratic development and security.

The president paid tribute to the late prime minister for advocating for a free and open Indo-Pacific and his call for international society to attend to the matter of peace in the Taiwan Strait. He added that the current prime minister, Shigeru Ishiba, continues Shinzo Abe’s legacy, most recently in a summit with President Donald Trump of the U.S. in which both leaders reiterated the importance of cross-strait stability, their steadfast opposition to unilateral changes to the status quo and support for Taiwan’s participation in global organizations.

Lai expressed gratitude to Akie Abe for raising the topic of peace in the Taiwan Strait on various occasions, citing a meeting last December with then President-elect Trump. He further emphasized Taiwan’s desire to continue to work with Japan, the U.S., the European Union and other like-minded partners to contribute to global prosperity.

In response, Abe spoke of the robust bond between Taiwan and Japan, specifically mentioning a photo exhibition held in Taiwan in 2023 in commemoration of her late husband that touched her deeply. She added that she was honored to attend Lai’s inauguration ceremony the following year.


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