Japanese lawmakers on Friday issued a joint declaration at an annual summit in Kobe, Japan, calling on the Japanese government to support Taiwan’s participation in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), along with other organizations.
The Kobe Declaration, signed at the Summit on Taiwan-Japan Exchange, says that Japan should increase its efforts to promote Taiwan’s entry to the CPTPP, and also advocate for Taiwan’s participation in international bodies such as the WHO, the International Civil Aviation Organization and the International Criminal Police Organization.
The declaration also urges Taiwan and Japan to work together to promote economic, cultural and educational exchanges, as well as cooperate in medical care and disaster prevention.
Photo: CNA
The Kobe Declaration calls for the Japanese government to promptly enact a “basic Taiwan-Japan relations law” that aims to promote bilateral relations and security cooperation.
The summit, which centers on Taiwan-Japan relations, was launched in 2015 by council members in Japan who have friendly relations with Taiwan.
Although Taiwanese city and county councilors were unable to attend this year due to COVID-19 restrictions, the summit still drew 510 regional assembly members from across Japan, a record high for the event.
Kobe City Assembly Speaker Kazuhiko Adachi, who hosted the summit, said he was not expecting such a turnout, considering the ongoing pandemic and the absence of Taiwan’s council members.
Taiwanese Representative to Japan Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) was there to thank the organizers for their continued support for Taiwan, and said the summit has helped deepen bilateral ties.
Hsieh said that the Kobe Declaration would help government voices in Japan influence the central government’s decisionmaking at a grassroots level.
The Kobe City Assembly was the first civic government in Japan to pass a motion supporting Taiwan’s participation at the WHO, which prompted Japan’s House of Councilors to pass a resolution calling on countries to grant Taiwan observer status in the global health governing body, Hsieh said.
During the event, organizers also played a recording of Vice President William Lai (賴清德) thanking Japan for its generous donations of COVID-19 vaccines, which have totaled 4.2 million doses to date.
Kobe City Councilor Norihiro Uehata said that the Chinese consulate in Osaka last month sought to block the summit from taking place in Kobe, but in defiance of Beijing’s pressure, event organizers rallied support online, resulting in the largest-ever attendance.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday said it had deployed patrol vessels to expel a China Coast Guard ship and a Chinese fishing boat near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. The China Coast Guard vessel was 28 nautical miles (52km) northeast of Pratas at 6:15am on Thursday, approaching the island’s restricted waters, which extend 24 nautical miles from its shoreline, the CGA’s Dongsha-Nansha Branch said in a statement. The Tainan, a 2,000-tonne cutter, was deployed by the CGA to shadow the Chinese ship, which left the area at 2:39pm on Friday, the statement said. At 6:31pm on Friday,
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, would pose a steep challenge to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against a full-scale invasion, a defense expert said yesterday. Institute of National Defense and Security Research analyst Chieh Chung (揭仲) made the comment hours after the PLAN confirmed the carrier recently passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct “scientific research tests and training missions” in the South China Sea. China has two carriers in operation — the Liaoning and the Shandong — with the Fujian undergoing sea trials. Although the PLAN needs time to train the Fujian’s air wing and
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
RSS