Wu Poh-hsiung Calls for Closer Ties with Japan

Press Release

Wu Poh-hsiung Calls for Closer Ties with Japan

Source: KMT Culture and Communications Committee

December 8, 2008

On December 7, KMT Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung led a delegation to visit Japan. While attending a local KMT party affairs meeting, Chairman Wu stated that, right after assuming office, the KMT administration had encountered the serious global financial tsunami in the century, but the ruling party would not shirk its responsibility to the hardship that people were currently facing. The KMT had complete confidence that we are moving in the right direction with regard to the livelihoods of the 23 million citizens and national development.

Wu stressed that the main goal of his visit to Japan was mainly to expand the ROC-Japan relations. He admitted that the KMT’s interactions with Japanese political parties during its eight years in opposition had indeed deteriorated considerably which caused that the Japanese government and certain politicians had less understanding of the KMT and even held some misunderstandings of President Ma Ying-jeou. Therefore, President Ma had specifically requested him to reiterate to both Japanese government and opposition that the ROC placed great importance on relations with Japan.

Wu stated that President Ma defined ROC-Japan mutual relations as “special partnership relations.” Moreover, Wu said that the ROC was the friendliest country toward Japan among Asian countries, adding that he hoped both countries could make efforts to strengthen mutual ties. Wu stated that the ROC would do its utmost, but that he also hoped that Japan would not unilaterally ask the ROC to improve mutual relations.

Wu said that he also hoped that the Japanese would appreciate the desire for international space of people in Taiwan, that international organizations should not exclude Taiwan, and that Japan would take the position to speak loudly for Taiwan.

Wu went on to say that some Japanese assumed that President Ma was “anti-Japan” just because Ma had done his PhD thesis at Harvard University on the issue of the Tiaoyutai Isles. Wu said that the thesis, in fact, advocated rational and peaceful resolutions, not military means, to the issue, and that he hoped that the Japanese would not misinterpret it.

Commenting on the fact that some Japanese had been misled to believe that Taiwan had become too close to Mainland China after the KMT returned to power, Chairman Wu stressed that moderate cross-Strait relations were absolutely beneficial to Japan’s interests. The improvement of cross-Strait relations did not contradict the strengthening of ROC-Japan relations, and could, in fact, complement each other. Chairman Wu said that he also hoped that Japan could strengthen its relations with Mainland China, or that Japan could join Taiwan to enter the Mainland market to create a “win-win-win” situation for Taiwan, Japan, and Mainland China.

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