Chen urges Japan to `walk its own way' with China

President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) said yesterday that Japan should "walk its own way" in engagement with Taiwan and should not be overly concerned about China's attitude and possible reaction to such interaction.

Chen made the remarks while meeting with a group of young and middle-aged members of the lower house of the Japanese Diet, or parliament.

Noting that Japan is an independent sovereign state, Chen said Japan should stand up to defend its national dignity whenever Beijing meddles with its engagement with Taiwan.

Chen said even though Japan recognizes China diplomatically, there is still ample room for Tokyo to improve and upgrade its substantive ties with Taiwan.

"Japan is an independent country, not a province of the People's Republic of China. Why should Japan care so much about Beijing's possible reaction to its exchanges with Taiwan?" Chen asked.

Citing the US as an example, Chen said although the US does not maintain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, it has allowed its government representatives to visit Taiwan and attend international meetings in Taiwan. "And such moves have not affected normal Washington-Beijing ties," the president noted.

In his view, Chen said, Taiwan, Japan and the US share a common interest in maintaining peace across the Taiwan Strait. Moreover, he said, Taiwan's continued existence and development are also in the interests of the US and Japan.

Therefore, Chen said, he hopes that Taiwan, the US and Japan can strengthen cooperation concerning Asia-Pacific security issues in the future.

"This is also an expectation of the 23 million people of Taiwan," he said.

As all of his guests are mem-bers of a newly-formed alliance of Liberal Democratic Party parliamentarians that aims to promote closer Taiwan-Japan relations, Chen said he looks forward to seeing the alliance play an active role in boosting exchanges and cooperation between the two countries in various fields.

For his part, Kenzo Yoneda, secretary-general of the alliance, asked whether Taiwan's huge investment in China would contribute to China's military buildup.

In response, Chen said the Taiwan government has consistently exercised prudence in developing trade and economic ties with China, adding that his administration is adjusting the existing "go slow, be patient" policy.