《TAIPEI TIMES》Canadian lawmaker calls for FIPA

COMMON GOALS: The relationship between Canada and Taiwan is based on mutual respect, strong people-to-people ties and shared values, Melissa Lantsman said

By Liu Tzu-hsuan / Staff reporter

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Visiting deputy leader of the Canadian Conservative Party Melissa Lantsman yesterday called for a foreign investment promotion and protection agreement （FIPA） between Canada and Taiwan.

Lantsman, who is leading seven other Canadian lawmakers on a trip to Taiwan, made the remark during a meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen （蔡英文） at the Presidential Office in Taipei.

The delegation members are cross-party representatives of the three major political parties in the Canadian House of Representatives, Lantsman said, adding that they all are “staunch friends and supporters of Taiwan and the Taiwanese people.”

The relationship between Canada and Taiwan is based on mutual respect, strong people-to-people ties and shared values, such as freedom, democracy and the rule of law, she said.

Lantsman said she believes that the meetings with government officials would help boost bilateral relations.

Lawmakers at the Canadian parliament support Taiwan’s participation in international organizations, such as the WHO and the International Civil Aviation Organization, she said.

Many of them have publicly advocated for Taiwan’s inclusion in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership （CPTPP）, she added.

They hope that a FIPA can be signed soon, Lantsman said, adding that Canadian officials at the ministerial level should travel to Taiwan for its signing.

Tsai said that Taiwan and Canada at the beginning of this year began negotiations for a FIPA, which would deepen economic and trade cooperation between the two nations.

She thanked Canada for its support for Taiwan, including issuing a joint statement with other countries to underline the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait after the G7 summit in May, and sending the HMCS Montreal to transit the Taiwan Strait with a US destroyer last month.

Taiwan, which has improved its regulations and adheres to the standards of international economic and trade norms, is ready to join the CPTPP and hopes to enlist the support of Canada, which is to chair the bloc’s commission next year, she said.

The delegation also met with Vice President William Lai （賴清德） and Legislative Speaker You Si-kun （游錫?）, and attended a banquet presided over by Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu （吳釗燮） on Wednesday.

In related news, Tsai sought the support of Japan for Taiwan’s participation in the CPTPP during a meeting with visiting Japanese lawmaker Keiji Furuya on Wednesday.

Furuya, who serves as the chairman of the Japan-Republic of China Diet Members’ Consultative Council, said that the council’s support for Taiwan to join the the trade bloc and the World Health Assembly as an observer “will not change.”

The council is also willing to do its best to help safeguard peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, as that would contribute to peace and stability in East Asia, he said.

After meeting with You on Japan’s Yonaguni Island on Tuesday, Furuya said that he hopes to encourage more Taiwanese to visit the island and the nearby Ishigaki Island.

He also expressed the hope that the next generation of Taiwanese and Japanese can build a deeper friendship, and mentioned the excitement of Kyoto Tachibana Senior High School Band members when they saw Tsai at the Presidential Office before performing at the Double Ten National Day celebrations in Taipei last year.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES