Vice President Vincent C. Siew on the morning of June 3 met with Japan's Miyazaki Prefecture Governor Hideo Higashikokubaru. The vice president, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC (Taiwan), extended a warm welcome to his guest, who led a delegation to Taiwan.
Vice President Siew said that Miyazaki Prefecture is geographically quite near Taiwan and the people of the two places share an emotional bond. He added that under Governor Higashikokubaru's administration, Miyazaki Prefecture has become much more well-known in Japan and throughout the world. Governor Higashikokubaru enjoys a high level of support among the public Miyazaki, and Vice President Siew congratulated him on his achievements.
Vice President Siew expressed his delight that Taiwan's EVA Air has commenced flights to Miyazaki Prefecture, adding he hopes that the direct flights will pave the way for even closer interaction among people in the two places. The vice president said he hopes Governor Higashikokubaru will use his influence to better enable the people of Miyazaki Prefecture and Japan as a whole to have a broader understanding of and maintain a higher level of interaction with Taiwan.
On a lighter note, the vice president said that the mangoes grown in Miyazaki Prefecture are quite similar to those grown on Taiwan. The mangoes grown here, however, do not fetch as high of a price as the ones cultivated in Miyazaki. As a result, he hopes that Governor Higashikokubaru will use his strengths in marketing to help publicize Taiwan mangoes, enabling them to be sold for a higher price.
Vice President Siew said that in addition to tourism, interaction on the cultural and educational front between Taiwan and Japan could be expanded. The vice president said that he especially emphasizes education for the younger generation. Since young people should be educated in a broad range of areas, the flights that have been initiated between Taiwan and Miyazaki make it easier for students to have contact with the other place, fostering greater interaction. He said that Governor Higashikokubaru has an extremely youthful appeal, which he can use to assist in promoting interaction among students from both nations. This would have positive benefits for relations between the two nations, he said.
Governor Higashikokubaru thanked Vice President Siew for taking time out of his busy schedule to meet with him. He said he was made aware that his meeting today with the vice president was the first meeting the vice president has had with a foreign guest since taking office. He furthermore said that the scheduled flights initiated between Taipei and Miyazaki that started on June 1 are the result of long-term efforts between the governments of the two nations. He added that the people of Miyazaki have long hoped that flights would be started between the two places. On behalf of the people of Miyazaki Prefecture, Governor Higashikokubaru expressed his gratitude and hopes that the scheduled flights will have their desired effect in boosting tourism, people-to-people contacts, and economic and agricultural trade to new levels. He said he is willing to do his utmost to realize these wishes and hopes that Vice President Siew will also pay attention to these issues of mutual importance.