Minister Without Portfolio John Deng (鄧振中), head of the Office of Trade Negotiations, on Tuesday said that the government would continue to improve ties with Japan and would not give up on seeking support for its bid to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
Deng made the remarks on the sidelines of a ceremony in Taipei to celebrate Japanese Emperor Akihito’s 85th birthday on Dec. 23, where Japanese Representative to Taiwan Mikio Numata said that despite Tokyo finding the results of the Nov. 24 referendum on a ban on some Japanese food imports “rather regrettable,” it would continue to collaborate with Taipei to create a bright future for both nations.
Numata’s comments represented a minor departure from the response to the referendum of Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Taro Kono, who said that the results have rendered Taiwan’s chance of joining the CPTPP unlikely and that Tokyo did not rule out taking the issue to the WTO.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung Taipei Times
The referendum, initiated by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), asked: “Do you agree that the government should, in connection to the March 11 Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear disaster, continue to enforce the food imports ban on 31 regions in Japan, including agricultural and food products from Fukushima and the surrounding four prefectures and municipalities (Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma and Chiba)?”
About 78 percent of the nearly 10 million voters who voted on the question voted “yes.”
Asked how the government now plans to further its CPTP after the referendum, Deng said that the government would not give up its efforts to join the CPTPP and that it would seek to improve its relations with Japan through other means, without elaborating further.
Acknowledging his disappointment with the result, Deng said that the referendum question was clearly leading, as it did not include the terms “radioactive” and “contaminated,” and failed to reflect the truth, which is that there is no way for food products contaminated with radioactivity to enter Taiwan.
“No government in the world would feed their people contaminated food,” Deng said, adding that products imported into the nation need to go through three to four examinations before they are permitted entry.
Deng said that he also has concerns over the attitude of some Taiwanese, whom he said have “taken pleasure” in the problems the referendum result has caused the Democratic Progressive Party administration.
Regardless of their political affiliation, people should refrain from adopting such a triumphal attitude when it comes to international affairs, Deng said, adding that Taiwan should send consistent signals to the international community that it is a supporter of free trade.
MISINFORMATION: The generated content tends to adopt China’s official stance, such as ‘Taiwan is currently governed by the Chinese central government,’ the NSB said Five China-developed artificial intelligence (AI) language models exhibit cybersecurity risks and content biases, an inspection conducted by the National Security Bureau (NSB) showed. The five AI tools are: DeepSeek, Doubao (豆包), Yiyan (文心一言), Tongyi (通義千問) and Yuanbao (騰訊元寶), the bureau said, advising people to remain vigilant to protect personal data privacy and corporate business secrets. The NSB said it, in accordance with the National Intelligence Services Act (國家情報工作法), has reviewed international cybersecurity reports and intelligence, and coordinated with the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau and the National Police Agency’s Criminal Investigation Bureau to conduct an inspection of China-made AI language
LIMITS: While China increases military pressure on Taiwan and expands its use of cognitive warfare, it is unwilling to target tech supply chains, the report said US and Taiwan military officials have warned that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could implement a blockade within “a matter of hours” and need only “minimal conversion time” prior to an attack on Taiwan, a report released on Tuesday by the US Senate’s China Economic and Security Review Commission said. “While there is no indication that China is planning an imminent attack, the United States and its allies and partners can no longer assume that a Taiwan contingency is a distant possibility for which they would have ample time to prepare,” it said. The commission made the comments in its annual
CHECKING BOUNDARIES: China wants to disrupt solidarity among democracies and test their red lines, but it is instead pushing nations to become more united, an expert said The US Department of State on Friday expressed deep concern over a Chinese public security agency’s investigation into Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) for “secession.” “China’s actions threaten free speech and erode norms that have underpinned the cross-strait ‘status quo’ for decades,” a US Department of State spokesperson said. The Chongqing Municipal Public Security Bureau late last month listed Shen as “wanted” and launched an investigation into alleged “secession-related” criminal activities, including his founding of the Kuma Academy, a civil defense organization that prepares people for an invasion by China. The spokesperson said that the US was “deeply concerned” about the bureau investigating Shen
‘TROUBLEMAKER’: Most countries believe that it is China — rather than Taiwan — that is undermining regional peace and stability with its coercive tactics, the president said China should restrain itself and refrain from being a troublemaker that sabotages peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks after China Coast Guard vessels sailed into disputed waters off the Senkaku Islands — known as the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) in Taiwan — following a remark Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made regarding Taiwan. Takaichi during a parliamentary session on Nov. 7 said that a “Taiwan contingency” involving a Chinese naval blockade could qualify as a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, and trigger Tokyo’s deployment of its military for defense. Asked about the escalating tensions
RSS