Does Taiwan official’s Japan visit reflect ‘new reality’ of Tokyo-Taipei ties?

Taiwanese Vice-Premier Cheng Wen-tsan on Wednesday concluded a four-day visit to Japan in a trip ostensibly about economic ties but where tensions between the self-ruled island and Beijing would likely also have been discussed, analysts said.

Cheng’s visit, along with a delegation of business and industry officials, is the first by a sitting Taiwanese vice-premier in 29 years.

He met former Japanese prime minister Taro Aso, who is currently vice-president of the country’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), as well as the party’s secretary general Toshimitsu Motegi, who is seen in some circles as a future leader of Japan.

Tokyo and Taipei sought to emphasise that the focus of the trip was boosting business, trade and cultural ties, with strengthening semiconductor supply chains also part of the agenda.

But analysts have said the security situation in North Asia will inevitably crop up in discussions behind closed doors.

In a social media post, Cheng said he held “in-depth discussions on Taiwan-Japan economic and trade exchanges, industrial cooperation and strengthening Taiwan-Japan relations” with Aso.

Jiji Press reported that during his 40-minute discussion with Motegi, the LDP secretary general emphasised Taiwan’s importance as a trading partner and a relationship based on shared core values, close economic ties and regular personnel exchanges.

Motegi also expressed the Japanese government’s gratitude for Taiwan providing large amounts of protective equipment, including masks, in the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic. In return, Chang thanked Japan for providing some 4.2 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine, enough to inoculate around 20 per cent of the population of Taiwan.

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There was also brief mention of the common geopolitical challenges shared by the two sides, while Cheng also commented on the “shared vision” expressed at the recent G7 meeting in Hiroshima concerning “de-risking, not decoupling” from mainland China, Taiwan’s CNA reported.

This approach would see governments reducing their dependence on Chinese supply chains instead of walking away from the world’s second-largest economy entirely.

“There has been a lot of room for discussion of economic and cultural issues during the visit, but I would be surprised if the state of the regional security environment did not come up in private,” said Ryo Hinata-Yamaguchi, an assistant professor of international relations at the University of Tokyo.

“Obviously the two sides have to be very careful about how they describe the issues they are discussing because they cannot make it sound like these are state-to-state talks, especially if they could be seen as security-related matters,” he told This Week in Asia.

Beijing claim sovereignty over, and firmly opposes any form of official exchange with self-ruled Taiwan, which it regards as a renegade province to be reunified with the mainland, by force if necessary.

Most countries, including the United States, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state. Washington, however, opposes any attempt to take the island by force and is legally bound to defend the island.

Robert Dujarric, co-director of the Institute of Contemporary Asian Studies at the Tokyo campus of Temple University, says that Japan-Taiwan ties have become more established over the past 20 years and Cheng’s visit should not be seen as controversial, particularly if the discussions were mostly about trade, supply chains and greater cultural connections, such as two-way travel.

“I think that the relationship is taken for granted and that it is okay for Tokyo to have ties with Taipei,” he said.

He agrees that behind closed doors, both sides will be keen to exchange opinions on the security challenges posed by China.

No matter what subjects are discussed in Tokyo, analysts agree that Beijing will not be thrilled the two sides are meeting and attempting to deepen their ties.

“China is not going to be happy, but they are going to have to get used to the fact that this is the new reality,” said Dujarric.

Hinata-Yamaguchi said he expected critical comments to emerge from Beijing following this week’s trip, although the emphasis on trade and cultural exchanges by Taipei and Tokyo likely meant that the response would not be too vociferous, he added.

“What can they do if the two sides are talking about better trade relations and more cultural exchanges? It would be very difficult for China to express real anger about that.”

Additional reporting by Bloomberg