Liberty Times (LT): What is the main purpose of your visit?
Annette Lu (呂秀蓮): This year marks the 120th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Shimonoseki and the 70th anniversary of Taiwan’s liberation from its annexation by Japan. In this critical year for Taiwan’s future, I have come to Japan to talk with individuals who are concerned about how Taiwan is to position itself amid rising tensions in East Asia.
Given that both Japan and Taiwan are under the pressure of China’s rising global influence, the fact that the US has deliberately ignored Taiwan’s existence, while seeking to regain political influence in Asia, has prompted Japan to keep a close watch on Taiwan’s role in the region.
With a presidential election scheduled next year, each candidate should inform voters of which direction they will lead Taiwan, and both Taiwan and Japan should develop plans to prevent Beijing from intervening in the election, as the result could affect the political situation across the whole of East Asia.
LT: Can you elaborate on the idea of a “neutral and peaceful Taiwan”?
Lu: Taiwan needs to raise its profile in the international community. We need to send a message to the world that we are not a troublemaker, but the center of the “first island chain.”
The US, Japan and Taiwan should think about what impact it will create if China takes control of Taiwan.
If China seizes Taiwan, Beijing would be able to use Taiwan’s strategic position to its advantage to make the waters off the first and second island chains part of its inner sea, and China would transform from an inland superpower to a thalassocracy, thereby challenging the US’ and Japan’s supremacy in the region.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
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A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it