No controversial issues will be discussed at the annual trade and economic talks between Taiwan and Japan, which start today in Taipei, Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lee (李大維) said yesterday.
Lee made the remarks in response to media queries about whether the issue of Taiwan’s ban on food imports from five Japanese prefectures near the site of the defunct Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant will be put on the negotiating table at the two-day Taiwan-Japan Trade and Economic Meeting.
The government is considering lifting the ban at Japan’s request, but has encountered heavy opposition, mainly over food safety concerns.
Photo: CNA
Lee said that the government would continue to uphold its strict regulations on the import of Japanese food products.
Food products from Japan will not be allowed into the nation unless they pass a strict science-based inspection, he said.
Lee said that the two sides would not discuss the matter of fishing rights in waters near Japan’s Okinotori Atoll.
What will be addressed at the meeting are issues related to intellectual property rights and agricultural produce, he said, adding that no one can predict whether any substantial conclusions would be reached at the talks.
The annual meeting has been the only official platform for Taiwanese and Japanese officials to discuss issues of mutual concern since diplomatic relations were severed in 1972.
It has been held since 1976.
Association of East Asian Relations President Chiou I-jen (邱義仁) and Japan Interchange Association Chairman Mitsuo Ohashi are leading their respective countries’ delegations to the talks.
The two associations are quasi-official organizations set up by their respective countries to handle bilateral affairs in the absence of official ties.
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