President Tsai meets Japanese House of Representatives Member Nobuo Kishi
President Tsai Ing-wen met with Japanese House of Representatives Member Nobuo Kishi at her official residence on the afternoon of January 12. She stated that as a member of the regional community, we will do everything in our power to maintain cross-strait peace and stability. She also emphasized that we would initiate dialogue with China under the principles of peace, parity, democracy and dialogue, and we hope to continue improving cross-strait relations to maintain regional peace and stability.
In her remarks, President Tsai first welcomed her visitors to Taiwan at such an auspicious time and thanked them for their congratulations. This election clearly demonstrated the will of the Taiwanese people, and the people hoped to use this voting process to show their determination to defend our democracy.
President Tsai stated that as a member of the regional community, we will do everything in our power to maintain cross-strait peace and stability, in order to foster further peace and stability in the greater region. Yesterday, she said, she urged the Beijing authorities to try to understand the opinions of the Taiwanese people, particularly those of the younger generation. Thus, she emphasized that we would initiate dialogue with China under the principles of peace, parity, democracy and dialogue in the hope that we can continue improving cross-strait relations.
The president emphasized that we are very much looking forward to continuing to develop closer relations with Japan, so we can work together to maintain regional peace and stability. In addition to cooperation in security and the economy, Taiwan-Japan relations have grown closer over the past years, particularly as we have seen growing travel between our countries. President Tsai expressed confidence that many Taiwanese people would be traveling to Tokyo to watch the Olympic Games to be held there later this year. She then took the opportunity to wish the Tokyo Olympics every success and looked forward to seeing outstanding performances from the athletes.
The president mentioned that there were representatives from Yamaguchi Prefecture present at the meeting, and she stated that she has previously visited Yamaguchi Prefecture. She said that in addition to Yamaguchi Prefecture's historical significance, its scenery, culture, and warm people all deeply impressed her.
President Tsai stated that she had heard that during this visit, the delegation would be visiting Tainan City. She told her guests that Tainan is a unique city and Taiwan's cultural capital. In particular, Tainan has outstanding cuisine, and it was once again featured on the cover of a well-known Japanese magazine last year. Many street signs in Osaka now feature local specialties and sights from Tainan, she said. She expressed her happiness that her guests would have the opportunity to experience Tainan's culture and lifestyle for themselves and wished them a smooth, pleasant visit.
In his earlier remarks, Representative Nobuo Kishi first congratulated President Tsai on her election victory. He pointed out that this election presented quite a challenge in the early stages, but President Tsai's large margin of victory, winning 8.17 million total votes, shows that the people supported her first-term achievements. Coupled with the determination she exhibited throughout the campaign process, she was able to win the support of the majority of the Taiwanese people, he said.
Representative Kishi pointed out that President Tsai mentioned multiple times throughout her campaign that this election was about the people defending their democracy and freedom. Japan is paying close attention to the anti-extradition protests in Hong Kong as well as China's actions in the region. He stated that like Taiwan and the United States, Japan's Indo-Pacific strategy has a focus on freedom and democracy, and he expressed his belief that these strategies are a crucial basis for maintaining regional freedom and democracy. He expressed hope that Taiwan can play a more important role in maintaining regional peace and stability.