Taiwan and Japan should build closer trade ties with Southeast Asia to counter China's growing economic clout, a top Taiwanese government official yesterday.
Economic planners in Taipei and Tokyo have long fretted about the "hollowing out" of industry in both countries, as companies such as Hon Hai (
PHOTO: CHU YU-PIN, TAIPEI TIMES
Chiou I-jen (
Chiou made the comments yesterday at the 2002 Taiwan-Japan Forum. He said a closer economic partnership between Taiwan and Japan could help counterbalance the tilt in Asia caused by China's mounting economic power.
"If Japan is determined to build a new economic order in Asia by developing the Southeast Asian region so as to answer China's growing economic threat, Taiwan will be her best partner in helping her to realize this goal," Chiou said.
China is now increasingly seen as a destination of choice for Japanese and Taiwanese capital. In the six months ended Sept. 31, Japan's direct investment in China more than doubled from a year earlier to roughly US$765 million. Taiwan's total investment in China in the first four months of this year was US$816 million.
Chiou's remarks yesterday echoed comments made by Taiwan's de facto ambassador to Tokyo two months ago. In April, Lo Fu-chen (
Chiou said that Taiwan has long regarded Southeast Asia as an important place to invest. "Taiwan can serve as a strategic partner to Japan, since we can share our `go south' experience as well as complement each other's technical skills," he said.
Chiou was referring to the investment mantra put forth by Lee Teng-hui (
While many companies have moved to China in search of lower production costs, companies such as Delta Electronics (台達電子) have built plants in places like Thailand.
Chiou said investment in Southeast Asia would be mutually beneficial. "The trade partnership between Taiwan and Japan in this region would also be beneficial to the overall future development of the Southeast Asian region," he said.
"If democracy is our common goal and Asia's stability and prosperity is our common responsibility, then Taiwan and Japan should work together hand in hand at all levels from regional security to trade to `go south' development," Chiou said.
In addition to the National Security Council head, Vice President Annette Lu (
Yesterday's forum -- sponsored by Taiwan's Chinese Eurasian Education Foundation and Japan's Institution for International Policy Studies -- was organized to exchange views on issues pertaining to Asia's security and economy in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks on the US.
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