Press Release

Legislative Yuan

May 4, 2022

President You hosted a dinner in honor of a delegation led by Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party Youth Division Director Ogura Masanobu, Member of the House of Representatives

President You Si-kun: I hope to continue to strengthen Taiwan-Japan relations and defend the values of freedom, democracy, peace, and stability in the Indo-Pacific region

Accompanied by Legislators Chiu Yi-ying, Chen I-hsin, Chiu Chen-yuan, and Chen Jiau-hua; Secretary General Lin Jih-jia; Consultant Chou Ya-shu; Director Kung Ping-chieh; Deputy Representative Akira Yokochi of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association; and Secretary General Chou Shyue-yow of the Taiwan-Japan Relations Association, President You Si-kun hosted a dinner in honor of the delegation from the Youth Division of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) led by Division Director Ogura Masanobu, Member of the House of Representatives, at the Okura Prestige Hotel on the evening of May 4.

In his welcome remarks, President You began by thanking the delegation for visiting Taiwan despite the pandemic. As the closest country to his hometown of Yilan County, Japan is the nation that he visits most. He noted that the Youth Division has proven the cradle for such statemen such as former prime ministers Shinzo Abe and Taro Aso and current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

President You continued by underscoring the importance of paying attention to the threat from China given the Chinese Communist Party’s hegemonic rise. He stated that the San Francisco Peace Treaty is the international legal framework under which the status of Taiwan is handled. As per the terms of this treaty, Taiwan is clearly not a part of China.

In his remarks, Representative Ogura expressed gratitude to President You for meeting with the delegation. More than 100 Taiwanese legislators have joined the Taiwan-Japan Parliamentary Amity Association, of which President You serves as the chairman. This shows Taiwan’s deep understanding of Japan and how much importance it attaches to friendship with Japan. The Youth Division is a LDP subunit, comprised of Diet members under the age of 45. These individuals did not experience life before World War II. When they were born, they already enjoyed the universal values of freedom, democracy, and rule of law. However, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine shows that authoritarian regimes or nondemocracies do not protect human rights and democracy. He thanked Taiwan for taking a stand with Japan to impose sanctions on Russia. He also mentioned China’s persecution of the Uyghurs and the restrictions that have been placed on freedom of speech in Hong Kong. Such happenings demonstrate the advantages of the democratic system of Japan and Taiwan. Although political parties may differ in their beliefs, fair elections can be held. Universal values such as human rights, freedom, and rule of law are not inherent but must be earned through action. Facing uncertainty in the international community, Japan and Taiwan should strengthen cooperation, focusing on plurilateral development and encouraging more young people and women to participate in politics. He also mentioned the extraordinary performance of Taiwan’s women politicians. He closed with hopes of further discussions and exchanges with Taiwan on this issue.

After an exchange of gifts, President You delivered a speech before dinner. He said that, on behalf of the Legislative Yuan, he was pleased to have the opportunity to host the delegation led by Representative Ogura and the members of different party caucuses. He has, he shared, visited Japan more than 20 times, seeing many cities and enjoying world-renowned Japanese cuisine, which is very popular among Taiwanese people. Japanese restaurants can be found everywhere in Taiwan. Taiwan has multiple ethnic groups which have enriched Taiwanese food. Taiwan enjoys abundant fishery products from the Pacific Ocean. A variety of ingredients are also found on Taiwan’s 268 mountains with a height of more than 3000 meters. He closed by inviting the guests to enjoy the conversation and the local food.

President You’s complete remarks are as follows:

Representatives Ogura Masanobu, Suzuki Norikazu, Suzuki Hayato, Yamaguchi Susumu, and Nishino Daisuke; Legislators Chiu yi-ying, Chen I-hsin, Chiu Chen-yuan, and Chen Jiau-hua; Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association Deputy Representative Akira Yokochi; Secretary General Lin Jih-jia; Taiwan-Japan Relations Association Secretary General Chou Shyue-yow; distinguished members of the delegation: Good evening.

It is an honor to meet you. I want to thank Youth Division Director Ogura and all of you for coming to Taiwan despite the pandemic. This marks the first time I have the pleasure of meeting Diet members in person since becoming Chairman of the Legislative Yuan’s Taiwan-Japan Parliamentary Amity Association. Therefore, I am extremely delighted and warm. On behalf of Taiwan’s parliament, I want to extend my appreciation and welcome to all of you.

My hometown is Yilan County. Japan is the closest foreign country to this place, and the nation I have been to the most often. As of today, I have been to Japan more than 20 times. I respect Japan’s civilization, development, and beautiful scenery. The LDP Youth Division has cultivated many remarkable statesmen, such as former prime ministers Shinzo Abe and Taro Aso as well as current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, all of whom served as Youth Division directors. The Youth Division is not only a cradle for future statemen, but also an important window via which the LDP can have exchanges with Taiwan. In the future, I believe that under the leadership of Director Ogura, the Youth Division will continue to thrive and flourish. On this auspicious occasion, I want to thank the LDP for attaching great importance to Taiwan-Japan relations. Last year, a team was created within the LDP to conduct a Taiwan policy review. This group also facilitated the Japan-ROC Diet Members’ Consultative Council to conduct the Taiwan-US-Japan Parliamentarian Strategic Forum on July 29 and the 2+2 Security Dialogue twice with our ruling Democratic Progressive Party. These have further deepened our parliamentary cooperation.

Today, I want to remind you of the importance of countering China’s threats. Internal repression and external expansion are the norm for the Chinese Communist Party, which is pursuing a hegemonic rise. Many actions by China, such as dispatching fighter jets to circumnavigate Taiwan; engaging in “wolf-warrior diplomacy”; launching the Belt and Road Initiative; and militarizing the South China Sea have seriously threatened peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. Recently, China pressed forward with signing a Security Cooperation Framework Agreement with Solomon Islands despite the opposition of the US, Australia, and New Zealand. This indicates that China is ready to further expand its influence, which is worrisome. This reminds me of the statement by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe last December: “If Taiwan has a problem, then Japan has a problem and the Japan-US alliance also has a problem.” His farsightedness is admirable.

China is not a democracy but an authoritarian regime. Since introducing a market economy, the Chinese Communist Party has followed its traditional way of political thinking, which can be summed up as, “Just as there are not two suns in the sky, there cannot be two kings on the land,” and that “All land under heaven belongs to the King, and all people on its shores are the King’s subjects.” In China, people do not enjoy freedom of speech, association, or religion. China’s imperial concept that, “Anyone who dares to offend China will be eventually punished, no matter how far away they are.” This, combined with the “Chinese dream” of the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, has caused great tension in the Indo-Pacific region and threatened world peace. This mindset has caused tension in the Indo-Pacific region and represents an enormous threat to global peace.

China recently cited the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Declaration in claiming that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China. I want to underscore that those two declarations expressed the will of the Allies during World War II. Following the war, the San Francisco Peace Treaty was signed by 49 countries on April 28, 1952. This is the relevant international legal framework to handle Taiwan’s status.

Article 2 of the Treaty reads, “Japan renounces all right, title, and claim to Formosa and the Pescadores.” It does not address Taiwan’s sovereignty. Therefore, it cannot be claimed that Taiwan is subject to China. Based on the spirit of sovereignty resting in the people and the UN Charter principle of self-determination, Taiwan is an independent, sovereign country. I can therefore say that in accordance with international law, Taiwan and Penghu do not belong to China. Taiwan has never been ruled by the People’s Republic of China. Taiwan and China are not subordinate to each other. Taiwan is absolutely not part of China. It is a clear fact that Taiwan and China are each one country on opposite sides of the Taiwan Strait.