Central News Agency (CNA, Taipei, June 30) President Lai Ching-te met with the "Japan Chinese General Association Goodwill Delegation" today and stated that Taiwan's economic, democratic, and international competitiveness have been recognized internationally in recent years. In the future, Taiwan will continue to deepen cooperation with Japan in three major areas: security and resilience, economic security and technological cooperation, and people-to-people and local exchanges. He hopes that overseas compatriots will continue to play a bridging role and inject more momentum into Taiwan-Japan friendship. President Lai, accompanied by Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Men-an and Overseas Community Affairs Council Chairperson Hsu Chia-ching, met with the "Japan Chinese General Association Goodwill Delegation" at the Presidential Office this afternoon. In his speech, he said that since its founding in 1946, the Japan Chinese General Association has branches in major cities across Japan, uniting the strength of the overseas Chinese community. Through events such as the Osaka Spring Festival Festival and Taiwan Festival, it has allowed more Japanese friends to recognize and understand Taiwan. The overseas Chinese community's active involvement in public welfare, charity, and local affairs has earned the respect of mainstream Japanese society, enabling the continuous deepening of Taiwan-Japan friendship. The President stated that Taiwan's economic growth rate reached 8.76% last year, and its per capita GDP has surpassed that of Japan and South Korea. It is estimated that Taiwan will enter the top 20 largest economies in the world next year. Taiwan ranks second in Asia in terms of its democracy index and freedom rankings. In this year's World Competitiveness Ranking, Taiwan ranked 4th globally, achieving its best performance ever. He said that Taiwan's performance in various fields has been recognized by the international community, and it continues to deepen its pa