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Taiwan's China thaw good for Japan, Ma says
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TAIPEI (Kyodo) A recent warming in relations between bitter rivals China and Taiwan "is
significant for Japan," Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou said Monday
while meeting with a delegation of Japanese lawmakers, officials and academics.
"This turning point is not just
significant for Taiwan and China; it's also significant for Japan because Japan
and Taiwan can continue maintaining their friendship without having to make
difficult decisions with the Taiwan Strait in mind," Ma said, according to
a Presidential Office press release.
He did not elaborate, while an office
spokesman was not available for comment.
Less than a month into his presidency, Ma managed to kick-start cross-strait
talks and ink pacts with Beijing on establishing direct air and tourism
links.
The two sides lacked such links before this month.
With the Japanese delegation visiting, Ma
has sought to paint warming relations with China as a boon for Japan, which is
concerned that any cross-strait conflict would involve Tokyo or tip the balance
of regional power too far toward Beijing.
"The chances of cross-strait conflict
will drop," Ma told the delegation during its visit to the Presidential
Office in Taipei.
He also praised Tokyo's own breakthrough in
relations with Beijing, citing a recent deal struck by both sides to jointly
develop a natural gas field in disputed waters in the East China Sea, calling
the accord "absolutely incredible."
Ma also tried to downplay a recent dispute
with Tokyo over a boat collision near the Senkaku Islands, a chain of
Japan-controlled islets in disputed waters, also in the East China Sea.
The dispute stemmed from a collision in
which a Japan Coast Guard vessel struck and sank a Taiwanese sport fishing boat
near the uninhabited islets, prompting Taipei to recall its de facto ambassador
and dissolve a key government committee that handled relations with Tokyo.
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The Japan Times: Tuesday, July 22, 2008
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