President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday shunned issues relating to the contested Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) during his meeting with former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe.
Abe arrived in Taipei yesterday on the inaugural flight from Tokyo’s Haneda Airport to Taipei International Airport (Songshan). Eyes were on his meeting with Ma and whether they would touch on issues related to the island chain in the East China Sea claimed by China, Taiwan and Japan.
During a trip to the US earlier last month, Abe used a Nazi-era term to accuse China of pursing a modern-day policy of lebensraum with its growing assertiveness over disputed territories.
PHOTO: LIAO CHEN-HUEI, TAIPEI TIMES
Lebensraum, or “living space,” was a key tenet in the philosophy of Adolf Hitler who believed that Germany deserved space, especially in eastern Slavic areas, in which to grow.
Beijing and Tokyo have been embroiled in a bruising diplomatic row since early September, when Japanese authorities arrested the captain of a fishing trawler near the islets known as Diaoyutais in Taiwan and China and Senkaku in Japan. The Ma government said earlier this month that there was no need to object to China’s territorial claim to the -Diaoyutais since the -Republic of China (ROC) -Constitution states that China is still considered a territory of the ROC on Taiwan. This prompted concerns from Japanese officials over the political implications of this interpretation.
Ma avoided the contentious issue yesterday and instead focused on the resumption of direct flights between Taipei and Tokyo.
Describing Abe as “the ROC’s best friend,” Ma said Abe was the third generation of his family to have close ties with the ROC.
The resumption of flights between Songshan and Haneda was an important indication of improved Taiwan-Japan relations over the past two years, Ma said.
Aside from paying a visit to former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), Abe also visited the Martyrs’ Shrine (忠烈祠) where people who died in the state’s service are enshrined.
When asked by the press why he chose to pay a visit to the shrine, Abe said through a translator that people who sacrificed their lives for their country all deserved to be honored. When further pressed by the reporters whether he knew the shrine also honored anti-Japan martyrs, Abe did not answer as the accompanied translator did not translate the question.
Lee affirmed Abe’s shrine visit, saying it was a show of respect for the country.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY AFP AND STAFF
writer
LONG FLIGHT: The jets would be flown by US pilots, with Taiwanese copilots in the two-seat F-16D variant to help familiarize them with the aircraft, the source said The US is expected to fly 10 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 jets to Taiwan over the coming months to fulfill a long-awaited order of 66 aircraft, a defense official said yesterday. Word that the first batch of the jets would be delivered soon was welcome news to Taiwan, which has become concerned about delays in the delivery of US arms amid rising military tensions with China. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the initial tranche of the nation’s F-16s are rolling off assembly lines in the US and would be flown under their own power to Taiwan by way
‘OF COURSE A COUNTRY’: The president outlined that Taiwan has all the necessary features of a nation, including citizens, land, government and sovereignty President William Lai (賴清德) discussed the meaning of “nation” during a speech in New Taipei City last night, emphasizing that Taiwan is a country as he condemned China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The speech was the first in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. It is the responsibility of Taiwanese citizens to stand united to defend their national sovereignty, democracy, liberty, way of life and the future of the next generation, Lai said. This is the most important legacy the people of this era could pass on to future generations, he said. Lai went on to discuss
MISSION: The Indo-Pacific region is ‘the priority theater,’ where the task of deterrence extends across the entire region, including Taiwan, the US Pacific Fleet commander said The US Navy’s “mission of deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific theater applies to Taiwan, Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler told the South China Sea Conference on Tuesday. The conference, organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), is an international platform for senior officials and experts from countries with security interests in the region. “The Pacific Fleet’s mission is to deter aggression across the Western Pacific, together with our allies and partners, and to prevail in combat if necessary, Koehler said in the event’s keynote speech. “That mission of deterrence applies regionwide — including the South China Sea and Taiwan,” he
UNPRECEDENTED: In addition to the approved recall motions, cases such as Ma Wen-chun’s in Nantou are still under review, while others lack enough signatures The Central Election Commission (CEC) announced yesterday that a recall vote would take place on July 26, after it approved the first batch of recall motions targeting 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao (高虹安). Taiwan is in the midst of an unprecedented wave of mass recall campaigns, following a civil society push that echoed a call made by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) in January to initiate signature drives aimed at unseating KMT legislators. Under the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法), Taiwanese can initiate a recall of district-elected lawmakers by collecting