Former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe might visit Taiwan next year, which the private sector highly anticipates and the government welcomes, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tien Chung-kwang (田中光) said yesterday.
Tien made the remarks in answering questions from legislators at a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文), chairman of a parliamentary friendship association for East Asia, on Tuesday said that Abe had accepted the association’s invitation to give a lecture at the Legislative Yuan next year.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
In September, Abe — Japan’s longest-serving prime minister — stepped down due to health issues and was replaced by Yoshihide Suga.
Asked by other lawmakers to confirm Abe’s visit, Tien said that the government is positive about the plan and welcomes it, even though it has not received formal notice from Abe.
“We know the private sector is very much looking forward to it [Abe’s visit]. The government is also happy to see it happen,” Tien said.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Wen Yu-hsia (溫玉霞) asked if Abe’s visit might bring some “good news,” such as inviting Taiwan to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
A visit by Abe would mark a great improvement of bilateral relations, but Taiwan’s bid to join the trade bloc needs the consensus of all of the member states, Tien said.
Asked if Taiwan’s lifting of a ban on food imports from five Japanese prefectures after the 2011 Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant disaster would be a prerequisite for joining the trade bloc, Tien said that the government would ensure food safety, and follow international and scientific standards in handling the issue.
Wen and KMT Legislator Charles Chen (陳以信) asked why Representative to Japan Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) returned to Taiwan when Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) on Nov. 24 and 25 visited Tokyo and expressed Beijing’s intention to join the CPTPP.
Taking days off, Hsieh returned to Taiwan to attend two important meetings: a board meeting of the Taiwan-Japan Relations Association and a meeting of the Association of Taiwan Kotso Tai Rit Interchange, Tien said.
Hsieh’s attendance at the meetings was an “indirect” effort to facilitate Taiwan’s participation in the CPTPP, Tien said.
Hsieh might have fixed his itinerary before Wang confirmed his schedule, Tien said, rejecting KMT lawmakers’ accusations that the envoy was derelict in his duties.
Other diplomatic staff in Japan monitored Wang’s visit during Hsieh’s absence, Tien said, while agreeing to submit a report to lawmakers on Hsieh’s performance.
Hsieh wrote on Facebook on Sunday that he had returned to Tokyo on that day.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS