Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (
Lien made the remarks at the KMT headquarters when he received a large delegation from Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, which arrived Wednesday on a four-day visit.
He noted that Taiwan and Japan have maintained friendly relations over the years and that Taiwan used to rely on Japan for technical assistance to create its so-called "economic miracle." In the future, he said, bilateral relations should not center only on economic areas and exchanges in education and culture should also be expanded.
According to Lien, Taiwan and Japan share a common basis in terms of geopolitics and security structure. He added that 60 percent of Japan's sea traffic has to pass through the Bashi Channel and that both sides should think about the collective security in East Asia with a broad vision and open-minded spirit so as to work toward regional peace and security.
On cross-strait relations, Lien said that current disputes over sovereignty will not be solved in the foreseeable future and that both sides should safeguard the status quo and promote exchanges and cooperation in every way so as to create a mutually beneficial situation.
He also called for the shelving of cross-strait disputes, saying that his party does not advocate Taiwan independence, nor does it believe that both sides should move toward unification at the present stage. Under the premise of safeguarding the status quo, he said, both sides should seek to increase exchanges in the areas of transportation, economy and culture.
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