Vice President Vincent C. Siew on the morning of August 27 at the Presidential Building met with former Japan House of Representatives Member Mr. Nakatsugawa Hirosato and House of Councillors Member Mr. Oe Yasuhiro. The vice president extended a warm welcome and gratitude to the visitors on behalf of the government.
Vice President Siew said that the guests have visited Taiwan many times and are Taiwan's best friends. He said he is deeply moved by the strong friendship that they have for Taiwan. The vice president said that while Taiwan and Japan do not have formal diplomatic relations, the two maintain close substantive relations, covering geopolitical ties, as well as historical, economic, cultural, and person-to-person relations on many levels. He said the friendship between the two countries is closer than that among many countries that maintain diplomatic ties. Vice President Siew said he hopes that both sides in the future can take advantage of the existing foundation to further strengthen the relationship between the two. He expressed his hopes that the guests will continue to support Taiwan, helping to create greater wellbeing for the people of the two countries.
Former House of Representatives Member Nakatsugawa and three House of Councillors members expressed their appreciation to Vice President Siew for taking time out of his busy schedule to meet with them. They also expressed their opinions and offered some suggestions on contacts between the governments and peoples of the two countries. The guests said that the Japanese government provides visa-free courtesies for Taiwan tourists and both sides now recognize the driver's licenses issued by the other. The realization of these measures is symbolic of the friendly relationship between Taiwan and Japan. Furthermore, trade and economic ties between the two are extremely close, they noted. In the future if Taiwan and Japan seek to strengthen cooperation, they could work on jointly developing markets in Mainland China, generating even more business opportunities for Japan and Taiwan companies. The guests also expressed a warm welcome to Taiwan's newly designated representative to Japan. Saying that John C. T. Feng is a good pick, they extended their best wishes and hopes for him in carrying out his job.
Vice President Siew said he agreed with the statements made by the visitors that strengthening bilateral economic and trade interaction would generate a win-win-win situation for Taiwan, Japan and Mainland China. He added that when he served as Minister of Economic Affairs over 20 years ago, he continuously advocated the concept of strategic alliances. He said he is pleased that Japan's corporate community also shares this viewpoint. He said he trusts that the future will be bright amid mutual efforts made by Taiwan and Japan.
Vice President Siew also told the guests that since taking office, he and President Ma Ying-jeou have not only strived to improve cross-strait relations, but also have hoped to strengthen interaction between Taiwan and Japan. The vice president pointed out reduction in carbon emissions as one area in which Taiwan hopes to strengthen cooperation with Japan. He added that Taiwan is presently drafting measures to reform its tax code, which he said should benefit foreign investors that invest in Taiwan in the future. The vice president said that improving Taiwan's overall investment climate is one of the urgent tasks of the government. He said Taiwan welcomes foreign investment and that Taiwan wants to remain in step with international practices. He said he hopes the Japanese government and people will support this effort, helping to generate business opportunities.
Former House of Representatives Member Nakatsugawa, House of Councillors Member Oe, and House of Councillors Members Nagahama Hiroyuki and Shinpei Matsushita were accompanied to the Presidential Building in the morning to meet with Vice President Siew by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs David Y. L. Lin and Association of East Asian Relations Chairman Chen Horng-chi.