Japanese Lawmaker, Taiwan President Agree On China
A Japanese ruling party lawmaker has agreed with Taiwan's president that the international community must work together to stop China's efforts to change the status quo by force.
Former National Public Safety Commission chairperson Furuya Keiji heads a nonpartisan group of lawmakers working to advance exchanges with Taiwan. The Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker is visiting Taiwan with the group's secretary-general.
Furuya met Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Tuesday in Taipei.
Tsai described the lawmakers' visit as a manifestation of the Japanese Diet's support for Taiwan. She expressed heartfelt gratitude on behalf of the Taiwanese people.
Referring to China's large-scale military drills earlier this month, which included launches of ballistic missiles, Tsai noted the international community must cooperate in dealing with provocations and attempts to expand authoritarianism.
She added that if Taiwan is invaded, it would be a massive blow to the values of democracy and to the entire Indo-Pacific region.
Tsai stressed that Taiwan and Japan are close security partners that share the values of democracy and freedom, and that they must continue to deepen cooperation and work together to secure regional peace, stability, freedom and prosperity.
Furuya said peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait are crucial not only for Japan's national security, but for the international community as well.
He stressed the importance of coordinated international efforts, headed by Japan and the United States, to stop China's attempts to change the status quo by force.