ROC President Ma Ying-jeou said May 8 that Taipei and Tokyo should begin discussions on finalizing a free trade agreement and take bilateral economic ties to new heights.
“Taiwan and Japan made great strides in cementing their relationship last year with a raft of projects and initiatives,” Ma said. “The two countries should build on this solid foundation and further strengthen their long-standing partnership.”
According to the president, these achievements include an investment protection arrangement, open sky agreement and the enactment of a special law by Tokyo to protect ROC artwork from seizure by third parties while on display in Japan.
But further economic integration will be difficult without a comprehensive trade pact in place, he said. “As Japan has decided to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the ROC government is stepping up efforts to create the necessary conditions for Taiwan’s membership of the pact within 10 years.”
The TPP is a proposed trade agreement comprising negotiating partners Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Vietnam and the U.S. Three other nations, Japan, Mexico and South Korea, are also seeking to join discussions on the nascent pact.
Ma made the remarks while receiving a delegation from Japan’s Diet at the Presidential Office in Taipei City. Shen Ssu-tsun, ROC representative to Japan, Liao Liou-yi, chairman of Taipei-based Association of East Asian Relations and Sumio Tarui, Japan’s representative to Taiwan, also attended the event.
Headed by Takao Fujii, chairman of the Japan-Taiwan Diet Members’ Discussion Group, the delegates are in Taiwan to attend an event commemorating the 70th anniversary of the death of Yoichi Hatta, a Japanese engineer who helped design and build the Wushantou Reservoir in southern Taiwan.
Ma commended the pro-Taiwan coalition for its effort in advancing Taipei-Tokyo relationships over the years, and urged them to support Shen and Liao in promoting exchanges between the nations. (JSM)
Write to Meg Chang at meg.chang@mail.gio.gov.tw