President Ma Ying-jeou met on the afternoon of August 21 with a delegation led by Member of the Japanese House of Representatives Katsuyuki Kawai. Besides explaining the current state of bilateral ties, the president called for even greater cooperation, and for both sides to work together to promote peace and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region.
In remarks, President Ma noted that Mr. Kawai has served five consecutive terms in the House of Representatives and was previously the chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. In addition, during Shinzo Abe's first term as prime minister, Mr. Kawai also served as parliamentary secretary for foreign affairs and senior vice-minister of justice. Mr. Kawai, the president said, wields considerable political influence in Japan.
President Ma further noted that Mr. Kawai has a longstanding interest in security issues in the East Asian region, and that he is in close touch with many authorities in this field. The president expressed hope that on this visit to Taiwan Mr. Kawai will be able to engage with experts and scholars in related fields here, as this would help him better understand Taiwan's efforts to promote regional security, and also would help Taiwan and Japan to work together toward peace and stability in the region.
President Ma specially expressed concern for Hiroshima, which is Mr. Kawai's constituency and which recently suffered torrential rains that have caused 39 deaths and left seven missing. He said he hopes that the all-out efforts of the Japanese government in the rescue and relief effort will help residents in the area to return to their normal lives as soon as possible.
The president stressed that both Taiwan and Japan regularly encounter natural disasters. For instance, five years ago this month, Typhoon Morakot brought devastating damage to parts of southern and eastern Taiwan and caused nearly 700 deaths. Taiwan and Japan could therefore work together on disaster preparedness and rescue measures to protect lives and property, he said.
As for bilateral ties, President Ma noted, after he took office in 2008 he designated ties between the two sides as a "special partnership" in light of the unique relationship. Taiwan has strived to promote bilateral ties, and this has led to considerable achievements in recent years, he said. Bilateral economic and trade ties, tourism, and cultural exchanges are at their best state since the two sides severed diplomatic relations at 1972, the president stated. He mentioned that Japan is Taiwan's second largest trading partner, while Taiwan is Japan's fourth largest, and bilateral trade last year reached US$62.1 billion, which attests to the frequent dealings between the two sides. At the same time, Japan is a major source of investment and technology for Taiwan, so the president expressed hope that the two sides will continue seeking to negotiate and sign an economic partnership agreement and an avoidance of double taxation agreement, which would help to liberalize trade and take economic ties to a new level.
Discussing regional economic integration, President Ma stated that Taiwan is striving to promote trade liberalization and to participate in economic integration within the region. Efforts in this regard are gradually paying off, he said, pointing to last year's signing of the ANZTEC economic cooperation agreement with New Zealand and the ASTEP economic partnership agreement with Singapore. Taiwan is actively seeking to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, he remarked, noting that Japan's Foreign Affairs Ministry Press Secretary Kuni Sato at an international press conference in June of this year said that the Japanese government welcomes Taiwan's participation in the TPP. Looking ahead, the president expressed hope that Japan can help Taiwan in its bid to take part in regional economic integration, which will enable Taiwan and Japan to work together for stability and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region.
President Ma also mentioned that last year Taiwan and Japan signed a fisheries agreement that marked a new milestone in bilateral relations and effectively reduced fishing disputes, which have dropped from 17 in the year prior to the signing of the agreement to just one since the signing. In addition, it has enabled fishermen from both countries to boost their catches. The president said that the peaceful resolution of disputes has been applauded by US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel and Secretary of State John Kerry. Both of these officials, he remarked, have indicated that the reaching of a consensus between Taiwan and Japan is helping to promote regional stability.
The president further remarked that on February 26 of this year, acting on the spirit of the East China Sea Peace Initiative, he issued his Statement on East China Sea Airspace Security, urging all parties concerned to abide by the principles of international law and seek peaceful resolutions to disputes related to overlapping air defense identification zones. He said that this will enable all parties to jointly maintain security and stability in the East China Sea.
Lastly, the president applauded the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between Japan and the United States of America for its contributions to security in the region. He also expressed hope that Taiwan can work together with Japan and the United States for peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.