President Lai Ching-te said he hopes to expand collaboration with Japan in the areas of artificial intelligence, energy and semiconductors to enhance mutual economic resilience and industrial competitiveness.
Lai made the remarks while receiving a delegation from Japan’s House of Representatives led by Sanae Takaichi April 28 in the Presidential Office in Taipei City. The six-member group is visiting Taiwan through April 29.
In his remarks, the president thanked the Japanese government for stressing the importance of cross-strait peace on multiple major international occasions. He expressed appreciation for the support of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whose statue in the southern city of Kaohsiung the delegation was set to pay respects to the following day.
Lai said that since he took office last May, he has been actively promoting societal resilience while implementing the Four Pillars of Peace action plan to forge economic security and strengthen national defense. He added that the country is committed to deepening partnership with Japan and other democracies to jointly uphold Indo-Pacific stability.
Taiwan is also eager to launch negotiations on a bilateral economic partnership agreement, the president said, adding that he hopes that Japan will back Taiwan’s bid to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.
In response, Takaichi anticipated deepening cooperation in areas including drones and quantum computers to strengthen supply chain resilience. Defense collaboration is also vital, she said, advocating that the two sides work closely with Australia, the Philippines, the U.S. and like-minded partners in Europe.
Earlier the same day, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung hosted a luncheon for Takaichi and her delegation. At the event, he said Abe’s advocacy of a free and open Indo-Pacific has become a shared strategic goal of global democracies, and Takaichi endorsed reinforcing partnership in food security, energy storage, and medical and space development, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (POC-E)
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