Former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) and former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) yesterday affirmed Taiwanese and Japanese non-governmental organizations' (NGO) efforts in hosting joint events as essential to enhancing mutual cooperation and maintaining regional peace.
"China is getting stronger, and it is a common threat to both Taiwan and Japan," Lee said. "To maintain regional security, civil cooperation between the two countries is as important as cooperation and efforts between the two governments."
Lee made the remarks at the two-day Taiwan-Japan Civil Society Forum which opened yesterday. The forum was organized jointly by Taiwanese and Japanese universities and a group of NGOs.
"Taiwan has made remarkable achievements in democracy. We need to participate more in the international community, but our passion has often been turned down because of political reasons," Lee said in his keynote speech at the forum.
"The forum is a great chance to let more people know about us," he added.
Although Taiwan and Japan do not have formal diplomatic relations, non-political exchanges and cooperation continue to grow, said Lee, who just returned from a visit to Japan last Sunday.
Hsieh, the Democratic Progressive Party's presidential candidate, told the forum to value the importance of civil movements and said that the government should listen to these voices more often.
"What is civil movement? The purpose of a civil movement is to remind the government of what it has done well or what it has yet to do," Hsieh said.
The two-day forum will discuss various topics, including environmental protection, global warming, education, HIV treatment and issues facing an aging society.
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