Taipei, Oct. 4 (CNA) President Chen Shui-bian said Monday there is ample room for Taiwan and Japan to cooperate in forging a comprehensive Asian security mechanism or promoting Asia-Pacific economic development.
Chen made the remarks while meeting with a group of Taiwan and Japanese scholars attending the 2004 Taiwan-Japan Forum on Asia-Pacific Regional Security Issues, which opened in Taipei a day earlier.
During the meeting, Chen lamented that mainland China has consistently attempted to exclude Taiwan from regional security cooperative mechanisms and economic dialogue frameworks.
As a matter of fact, Chen said, Taiwan's participation in those fields would contribute greatly to regional economic prosperity and peaceful dialogue.
Touching on recent developments in Taiwan and Japan, Chen said he sees similarities in the two countries' pursuit of constitutional reforms and a greater role in the international community. "I have noticed that there have been many discussions in Japan in recent years about constitutional amendments that would allow Japan to become a 'normal country' and play a more active role in world affairs, " Chen said, adding that Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's appeal for a permanent seat for Japan in the U.N. Security Council in a speech at the just-concluded U.N. General Assembly symbolized Japan's desire for a greater role in the international arena. The current Japanese constitution imposes strict restrictions on the country's military buildup.
In his view, Chen said, Japan is mulling new ways and new strategies to shed its historical shackles and face up to the challenges of the 21st Century.
Likewise, he went on, Taiwan is also re-thinking its national identity now that it has succeeded in its political democratization and economic take-off. "We look forward to becoming a normal and complete country by writing a new constitution that fits our status quo and facilitates the upgrading of our administrative efficiency and overall national competitiveness, " Chen said, referring to his constitutional re-engineering plan.
Amid the wave of economic liberalization and globalization, Chen said, the people of Taiwan also yearn to take part in international organizations and activities. "We are more than willing to share our economic and democratic development experiences and work hand-in-hand with other countries to promote the common well-being of all mankind," Chen said.
The president further said that Taiwan and Japan not only have similar development experiences but also have shared geopolitical and strategic interests.
Noting that Taiwan and Japan will be the most-affected countries by several major developments in the Asia-Pacific region in recent years, such as the rise of China as an economic powerhouse, Chen said the two countries should cooperate even more closely in security affairs and economic development for their mutual benefit.