Vice President Vincent C. Siew on the afternoon of September 12 at the Presidential Building met with Japanese Association in Taiwan Chairman Taka Yutaka and Japan Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Taipei Chairman Mr. Kenji Sakai. The vice president, on behalf of the ROC government, extended a warm welcome to the guests.
Vice President Siew said that the Japanese Association in Taiwan has nearly 1,000 members and is a very cohesive club. On the one hand, the club is a friendship association for Japanese living in Taiwan. On the other hand, the organization serves as a bridge between Japanese residing in Taiwan and the ROC government. The vice president praised the long-term contributions made by the Japanese Association in Taiwan. He added that he hopes the association in the future will play an even more important role in enabling Japanese residing in Taiwan to sense the concern the Taiwan government has for them and to further bolster the relationship between Taiwan and Japan.
The vice president said that the Japan Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Taipei is an organization established by representatives of the Japanese commercial and industrial sectors in Taiwan. While this organization has fewer members than the Japanese Association in Taiwan, it is highly influential, he said, especially given the extremely close trade and economic interaction between the two countries. Vice President Siew said he is confident the chamber will continue to effectively promote investment-related cooperation and interaction.
The vice president stressed that he has always placed great importance on Taiwan-Japan relations. He said that he has met with a number of foreign guests in a variety of settings today and that all were from Japan. The vice president added that he has had the opportunity to discuss bilateral cooperation in a range of fields. He specifically cited talks regarding cooperation in the areas of energy and environmental protection, flood prevention and urban redevelopment. The vice president expressed that his frequent meetings with guests from Japan demonstrates the emphasis he places on relations between the two countries.
The guests expressed their appreciation to Vice President Siew for taking time out of his busy schedule to meet with them. They also thanked the government for the assistance it has extended to the Japanese Association in Taiwan. The guests said that the European Union and the North American Free Trade Area are highly influential economic zones within the international community. They said that Asia needs to establish an economic and trade network of its own. The guests also expressed that Taiwan and Japan should strengthen coordination and cooperation, enabling the two to play an even more important role in the Asian economy.
Chairman Yutaka and Chairman Sakai were accompanied in the afternoon to the Presidential Building by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrew Li-Yan Hsia to meet with Vice President Siew.