Lawmakers from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) explored ways to cooperate on undersea cable security during talks yesterday, DPP Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) told a news conference at the DPP’s headquarters in Taipei.
The two groups discussed maintenance of undersea cables, which can be for telecommunications or high-voltage electricity, including the possibility of establishing a new information-sharing mechanism, Kuo said.
To safeguard undersea cables, Taiwan would need assistance from Tokyo, because Japan has more advanced technology and expertise, he said.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
His remarks came days after three of the 14 international undersea cables serving Taiwan were reported to have been damaged.
On Monday, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said that while the cause of the damage was still being investigated, it did not rule out intentional acts.
Kuo and fellow DPP lawmakers Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷), Lee Kuen-cheng (李坤城) and Wang Cheng-hsu (王正旭) attended yesterday’s event alongside LDP representatives Tsuyoshi Hoshino, Kazuchika Iwata, Takashi Yamashita and Eikei Suzuki, all members of the Japanese House of Representatives.
In addition to undersea cables, they discussed further cooperation on security, coast guard operations and disaster prevention, among other issues.
First held in 2021, the meetings aim to facilitate policy discussions and cooperation between the ruling parties from both nations.
This year’s meeting was expanded to four participants from each side, up from two each.
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