TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) discussed the formation of a “democratic umbrella” with top Japan envoy Ohashi Mitsuo during a meeting Tuesday (Aug. 27).

Ohashi was appointed in 2011 as chair of the Tokyo-based Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association (JTEA), a body set up to manage unofficial relations between the two countries. Receiving him at the Presidential Office Tuesday, Lai said he hoped they could take the bilateral friendship further and “open a democratic umbrella” with democracies to foster global democracy, peace, and prosperity.

The president also mentioned Taiwan’s hope that Japan could support plans for a bilateral trade agreement and its membership in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), per Radio Taiwan International.

Lai told Ohashi that Taiwan’s new envoy in Tokyo, Lee I-yang (李逸洋), would take up his post to succeed former Premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), who had headed the representative office since 2016.