ROC President Ma Ying-jeou said the appointment of Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Shen Ssu-tsun as representative to Japan underscores the importance his administration places on Taipei-Tokyo ties.
“It takes team work and enlightened policymaking to handle Japanese affairs,” Ma said while receiving Shen March 1 at the Presidential Office in Taipei.
The president said this approach is illustrated by Shen’s appointment, along with that of Liao Liou-yi—ruling Kuomintang secretary-general—as chairman of the Taipei-based Association of East Asian Relations.
“Both officials boast first-grade diplomatic credentials and comprehensive understandings of Japanese affairs,” he added.
The AEAR oversees Taiwan’s ties with Japan in the absence of formal diplomatic relations, which were severed by Tokyo in September 1972. Its Japanese counterpart is the Interchange Association.
Ma also praised Feng Chi-tai, outgoing ROC representative to Japan, for his milestone contributions in boosting bilateral relations. These include the signing of a working holiday agreement, opening a representative office in Sapporo, restarting direct air services between Taipei Songshan and Tokyo Haneda airports and concluding an investment arrangement.
Feng was named to the position in August 2008 at a time in which Taipei-Tokyo ties were suffering from issues connected with the Diaoyutai Archipelago in the East China Sea. He adroitly defused matters and succeeded in clearly conveying Ma administration policies to Tokyo.
Ma said Feng’s efforts played a valuable part in lifting the intensity of Taiwan-Japan exchanges over the past three years to a level not seen since the early 1970s.
This positive state of affairs influenced the people of both countries, the president said, citing a June 2011 opinion poll conducted by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Tokyo. According to the survey, 91 percent of respondents described bilateral ties as good, while 84 percent saw Taiwan as a trustworthy partner.
“Such sentiments should also be viewed as a peace dividend from warming cross-strait relations,” Ma said. (JSM)
Write to Rachel Chan at rachelchan@mail.gio.gov.tw