The Taiwan Strait is ¡°gradually tilting toward a time of emergency,¡± former Prime Minister Taro Aso said in Taipei on Tuesday, during a rare visit to the democratic island by a senior lawmaker from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
Aso, who currently is LDP vice president, kicked off a three-day trip to Taiwan ¡ª the first by such a high-ranking party official since Tokyo severed diplomatic ties with Taipei in 1972 ¡ª on Monday.
¡°The environment in Japan and Taiwan has changed substantially,¡± Aso said during a livestreamed keynote speech at the Ketagalan Forum security dialogue. ¡°I think that although we are now in a period of peace ... we are gradually tilting toward a time of emergency.¡±
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