Deputy Legislative Speaker Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) is leading a cross-party delegation to attend the general assembly of the Asian-Pacific Parliamentarians’ Union in Tokyo from today to Thursday.
The 14-member delegation yesterday left on the first diplomacy trip under the new legislature, which was sworn in on Feb. 1.
Lawmakers from all parties attach great importance to this year’s general assembly, which is being held in-person for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, Chiang told reporters at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport yesterday.
Photo: CNA
The annual meeting focuses on climate change, especially how to prevent and reduce the impact of large-scale disasters, he said.
Taiwan has experience and expertise in the field and is willing to share that with union member states, he added.
Lawmakers from 13 countries in Southeast Asia and the South Pacific are also attending the meeting, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said last week.
The delegation also plans to visit major political parties and politicians from Japan to reinforce the already close ties between Taiwan and Japan, Chiang said.
The two sides would exchange views on issues linked to economics, trade, culture and security, he said.
The union was originally named the Asian Parliamentarians’ Union (APU), and was formed in 1965 in Tokyo by former Japanese prime minister Nobusuke Kishi and parliamentarians from Taiwan, Japan, Philippines, South Korea and Thailand.
The union aims to achieve and preserve freedom and democracy, to secure peace and prosperity in Asia, its Web site says.
As close relations between the APU’s member states and Pacific Island nations developed it was renamed the Asian-Pacific Parliamentarians’ Union at the 16th general assembly in Taipei in 1980.
The union now consists of eight members in Asia, 13 members in the Pacific and one observer.
The Central Secretariat was established in Tokyo in 1971 as a central administrative organ of the APU and is now in charge of coordinating the work of member countries’ secretariats.
Taiwan hosted general assemblies in 2009, 2014 and 2019.
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