Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim and Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung met with Eikei Suzuki, member of the Japanese House of Representatives, Feb. 10 in Taipei City, highlighting government commitment to the bilateral relationship.
Hsiao first expressed appreciation of the unwavering support for cross-strait peace and stability recently expressed by Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in a statement released after a Feb. 7 summit in Washington. She said that such remarks reassure the countries in the Indo-Pacific and further ensure maintenance of the status quo across the Taiwan Strait.
The vice president added that people-to-people exchanges play a key role in strengthening Taiwan-Japan relations, and took the opportunity to thank Suzuki for his tourism-boosting contributions that date back to his time as governor of Mie prefecture.
On the same day, Suzuki was also received by Lin to exchange views on the two sides’ industrial cooperation and regional situation. Lin expressed sentiments similar to Hsiao’s and reminisced with the representative about an international exchange memorandum of understanding inked in 2017 between Taichung City and Mie prefecture that they participated in as leaders of the involved signatories.
Following Lin’s remarks, Suzuki said he will spare no effort in parliament to promote Taiwan’s participation in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, as well as the signing of a bilateral economic partnership agreement. He also discussed a desire to bolster cooperation between the two sides in areas spanning artificial intelligence, drones, hydrogen energy and semiconductors.
According to the MOFA, Suzuki attended Taiwan’s most recent presidential inauguration along with other Japan-ROC Diet Members’ Consultative Council members. His current trip came about at the invitation of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications’ Tourism Administration, which presented him with an award for contributions to Taiwan tourism. (YCH-E)
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from Taiwan Today – Top News