Foreign Minister Lin hosts welcome luncheon for Japanese parliamentary delegation focused on security issues
August 15, 2024
No. 261
Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung hosted a luncheon on August 14 to welcome a delegation of Japanese parliamentarians focused on security issues. The delegation included six members of the Japanese House of Representatives— Shigeru Ishiba and Seiji Maehara, who jointly led the delegation, as well as Gen Nakatani, Akihisa Nagashima, Shu Watanabe, and Keiro Kitagami.
In his remarks, Minister Lin noted the geographical proximity of Taiwan and Japan, their shared values of democracy and freedom, the close ties between their peoples, and the threat of authoritarian expansionism they both face. He then called for the two countries to establish a security dialogue mechanism to facilitate discussions on responses to emergency situations in the future.
Minister Lin thanked the government of Japan for leveraging its influence at a number of international events to reiterate the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, increasing the significance countries worldwide attach to cross-strait security. He noted that Taiwan had applied to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). He also stated that Canada, as this year’s CPTPP Commission chair, had issued new guidelines in accordance with the three Auckland Principles and had encouraged CPTPP members to engage in unofficial consultations with economies that had applied to join. Minister Lin expressed the hope that Japan would soon launch unofficial consultations with Taiwan and assist Taiwan in acceding to the CPTPP as early as possible.
In his speech, Representative Ishiba thanked Minister Lin for his warm hospitality. He said that in-depth exchanges with prominent Taiwanese political figures during the visit had been very productive and that he hoped a dialogue mechanism could be established for future interactions. In addition, to prevent East Asia from becoming the Ukraine of tomorrow, he recommended that Taiwan and Japan work with other members of the democratic community to strengthen deterrence capabilities and jointly maintain peace and security across East Asia and the Taiwan Strait.
The luncheon was also attended by Hsieh Wen-sheng, Chief Executive Officer of the Taiwan Oasis Foundation, and Tristan Y. J. Liu, Acting President of the Taipei University of Marine Technology. Participants enjoyed a lively discussion and exchanged perspectives on issues such as Indo-Pacific developments, supply chain resilience, and food security. (E)
