President Tsai Ing-wen met former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe via a video conference on Tuesday evening. The talks were part of an event held by Japan’s Taiwan parliamentary consultative council.
During their meeting, Tsai and Abe spoke about disaster and pandemic prevention, Taiwan’s bid to join the CPTPP, and the Russia-Ukraine war’s impact in the Indo-Pacific region.
Tsai said that when Taiwan struggled with a COVID vaccine shortage, Japan came through and donated multiple vaccine shipments to the country. Abe said that Taiwan also helped Japan by donating face masks and medical equipment to his country.
Tsai said that next month, Taiwan will lift its ban on food imports from Japan’s Fukushima area. The ban was initially put in place after an earthquake and tsunami triggered a meltdown at a nuclear power plant in the region. Tsai said the ban lift shows Taiwan’s willingness to comply with international standards to overcome trade barriers. She said she hopes the policy shift will pave the way for Taiwan’s inclusion in the regional CPTPP trade pact.
Finally, Tsai said that she will not allow the war in Ukraine to affect stability in the Indo-Pacific. She says Taiwan stands ready to maintain regional peace.