Chinese Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin held a regular press conference on May 16. Kyodo News reporter asked, according to reports, former Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso met with Taipei City Mayor Jiang Wanan in Tokyo on the 15th, talking about personnel exchanges between Japan and Taiwan (region), what is China's comment on this?
Wang Wenbin said: On the issue of foreign exchanges in the Taiwan region, China's position is consistent and clear, and it should be handled in accordance with the one-China principle. We urge the Japanese side to abide by the relevant principles and spirit of the four China-Japan political documents, and to take concrete actions to demonstrate its commitment to uphold the one-China principle and to maintain only people-to-people and local exchanges with Taiwan.
It has been learned that Taipei City Mayor Chiang Wan-an visited Japan on 15 May and held talks with party vice president Taro Aso at the Liberal Democratic Party headquarters in Tokyo. According to relevant sources, the two confirmed that they will promote exchanges between Japan and Taiwan.
This is Jiang Wanan's first visit to Japan after taking office as mayor of Taipei. Jiang Wanan took office as mayor in December 2022 and visited Singapore in July last year and South Korea in September of the same year. Chiang Wan-an is the great-grandson of Chiang Kai-shek and the young hopeful star of the largest opposition party, the Kuomintang. The main purpose of this visit to Japan is to attend events hosted by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Chiang Wan-an is seen as one of the popular candidates for the KMT in the future, and the trip is also intended to build relations with Japanese political circles.
Kyodo News reported that according to Taipei City, Aso mentioned the topic of his hometown of Kyushu during the talks, and Jiang Wanan responded that he hoped to further promote the cooperation between Taipei City, Fukuoka City and other Japanese cities. Jiang Wanan revealed to the media after the talks that Aso's visit to the United States and talks with former President Trump have also become a topic.
Jiang Wanan also met with Takako Suzuki, the party's youth director, at the LDP headquarters. Suzuki points out, "Whether it's safety or security, it's important to communicate with each other. Looking forward to building long-lasting relationships. Jiang Wanan mentioned that since his grandfather Chiang Ching-kuo, he has been in continuous communication with the Youth Bureau of the Liberal Democratic Party, and hopes to work together to create the future in the future.
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike invited Jiang Wanan to visit Japan on the occasion of her visit to Taiwan in February. Jiang Wanan said in an interview with Japanese media on May 12: "There is a deep affection between the citizens [of Tokyo and Taipei]. We will continue to be determined to go forward."
Jiang Wanan stayed in Tokyo until the 18th. On the 16th, he gave a lecture on the theme of urban safety at an international conference hosted by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and met with Koike. On the 17th, he attended a rally of the "Japan-China Parliamentarians' Meeting" of the cross-party parliamentarians' alliance.