TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen pledged to deepen security cooperation with Japan in a meeting with a senior member of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on Saturday to ensure freedom in the Indo-Pacific .
While Japan and Taiwan, which China claims to have democratically ruled, do not have formal diplomatic relations, they have close informal ties and both have concerns about China, especially China’s increased military presence near them Activity.
Tsai Ing-wen thanked Liberal Democratic Party policy chief Koichi Hagiuda for Japan’s support on issues such as maintaining the security of the sensitive Taiwan Strait during a meeting at the presidential office in Taipei.
“We have seen that Taiwan-Japan relations have become closer in recent years,” she said.
“In the future, Taiwan will continue to deepen cooperation with Japan. Japan will work together in various fields including security to ensure freedom, openness and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.”
Hagiuda said that Taiwan is a good friend who shares common values.
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“Taiwan is an extremely important partner and important friend of Japan, with which Japan shares basic values such as freedom and democracy, basic human rights and the rule of law, as well as close economic relations and personnel exchanges,” he said.
“In this case, the help and cooperation between us has been built over time.”
Hagiuda is in Taipei for Sunday’s He told Tsai Ing-wen on the Japanese forum that he would also pay his respects at the grave of former President Lee Teng-hui.
Japanese-educated Lee Teng-hui, who died two years ago, was dubbed “Mr. Democracy” “for burying autocratic rule in Taiwan in favor of freewheeling pluralism.
Japan has become increasingly concerned about China’s belligerent attitude toward Taiwan as Beijing seeks to assert sovereignty over Taiwan
China held military exercises near Taiwan in August to express disapproval Outrage over then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei, which included firing five missiles into Japanese territory near Okinawa’s exclusive economic zone.
