The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday expressed support for the planned renaming of the Interchange Association, Japan to the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association from Sunday.
The association represents Japan’s interests in Taiwan in the absence of bilateral diplomatic ties, which ended in 1972. Taiwan also set up a de facto embassy with an ambiguous title in Tokyo, called the Association of East Asian Relations, which was renamed the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan in 1992.
The ministry said that the new name reflects the business activities carried out by the association and is a positive development in Taiwan-Japan relations.
Photo: CNA
Saying that the two nations have become closer in recent years, the ministry added that Japan is Taiwan’s third-largest trade partner, while Taiwan is Japan’s fourth-largest. Bilateral trade totaled US$57.9 billion last year.
In addition, there were 5.3 million travelers between Taiwan and Japan last year and that number could surpass 6 million this year, the ministry said.
Taiwan and Japan share the universal values of democratic governance, freedom and the rule of law, with various public opinion polls showing the close and friendly relations between Taiwanese and Japanese, the ministry said, while expressing the hope that the two will continue to expand and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation.
Photo: CNA
The move could represent the greatest breakthrough since the foundation was established in 1972 after official diplomatic ties between the two nations were severed, and is expected to further Taiwan-Japan relations.
Former leader Chiang Kai-shek’s (蔣介石) administration proposed that the Japan-based association be named the Japan-China Interchange Foundation, which Tokyo rejected, anonymous sources said.
Like its Taiwanese counterpart, the then-Association of East Asian Relations, their vague appellations caused bafflement as to what their purposes were.
The sources said that the timing of the name change was because “times have changed,” which has manifested itself in several ways.
“In the 1980s and 1990s, there were not many substantial exchanges between Japan and Taiwan, but the total number of tourists visiting both nations has surpassed 6 million in recent years, and exchanges have been plentiful on a wide range of issues,” the sources said.
A recent survey by the Japanese government found that only 10 percent of Taiwanese respondents said they knew what “the functions of the Interchange Association, Japan, were, while 80 percent said the opposite, the sources said.
Association officials did not confirm if the name change signals a deepening of Taipei-Tokyo relations, but dismissed speculation that the move was inspired by US president-elect Donald Trump’s perceived stance on Taiwan, saying that it was planned, a source said.
A Japanese official said that it was “Taiwan’s business” if it changes the name of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan to the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan, but added that the potential political implications should be assessed before a change is made, the source said.
Japanese officials said that Taiwan submitted a request to change the representative office title during former representative to Japan Koh Se-kai’s (許世楷) term between 2004 and 2008, adding that the ministry has never made such a request.
“China remains firm and consistent on issues regarding Taiwan affairs. We strongly oppose any attempts at creating the frameworks of ‘one China, one Taiwan’ or ‘two China’s.’ We express our strong protest against Japan’s passive stance over Taiwan affairs,” Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Hua Chunying (華春瑩) said at a news conference in Beijing in response to the proposed name change.
“China urges Japan to adhere to the principles set forth in the Japan-China Joint Communique and honor the promises it has made to China, uphold the ‘one China’ principle and refrain from sending false signals to Taiwan and the international community, thereby causing new problems to China-Japan relations,” she said.
China has initiated negotiations with Japan over the issue, she said.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS