The Asian-Pacific Parliamentarians’ Union (APPU) General Assembly yesterday passed a resolution supporting Taiwan’s inclusion in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and announced that Taiwan is to host the event next year.
Deputy Legislative Speaker Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) is leading a 14-member cross-party delegation to the general assembly in Tokyo.
The resolution was proposed by the Taiwanese delegation yesterday morning, followed by discussions and voting, the Legislative Yuan said in a statement.
Photo courtesy of the Legislative Yuan via CNA
Climate change should not be a political issue as it impacts beyond national borders, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) said, calling on the international community to include Taiwan in the framework.
Taiwan has assisted many Pacific nations in adjusting to climate change with advanced monitoring technology with great results, DPP Legislator Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) said.
Nations should work together to overcome the impacts of climate change, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko Chih-en (柯志恩) said, adding that Taiwan is willing and able to contribute.
The resolution was passed without objection.
On Monday, the delegation met with Yuichiro Tamaki, head of Japan’s Democratic Party for the People, and former Japanese prime minister Taro Aso, who is now vice president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, it said.
Tamaki expressed sincere gratitude to Taiwanese for the generous donations they made in the aftermath of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, as well as the earthquake that struck the Noto region of Ishikawa Prefecture in January.
The Democratic Party for the People has always valued its relations with Taiwan as it continues to pursue foreign and economic policies that are pragmatic and help enhance security, he said.
People-to-people ties are the bedrock for diplomatic engagements between Japan and Taiwan, he said, adding that he hopes to see relations further improved through interaction with the delegation.
Aso said that heightened tensions across the Taiwan Strait have become a matter of great concern to the US and other nations in the region, such as Australia, Japan, South Korea and India.
China would need to rely on its navy if it were to invade Taiwan, but it has little experience in naval warfare in modern history, while Japan’s navy is its main combat force, he said.
Multiple aircraft carriers have been deployed in the Asia-Pacific region as part of the US-Japan alliance to maintain peace in the region, he added.
He urged Japan to work closely with the US, Philippines, South Korea and Australia to enhance deterrence, while encouraging Japan’s young lawmakers to foster closer ties and communication channels with Taiwan’s political parties, which would facilitate cooperation in a possible Taiwan contingency.
Following the meeting, the delegation attended a trilateral dialogue with lawmakers from Japan and Palau to discuss cooperation on economic, tourism and climate issues, as well as exchange views on energy security and food shortages.
Japanese Representative Keiji Furuya, who is also chairman of the Japan-Republic of China Diet Members’ Consultative Council, and other council members are also to meet with the delegation, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported on Monday.
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