Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno began an official six-day working visit to Japan on Monday, as the two countries celebrate the 100th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year. Since taking office last year, Moreno has sought to attract foreign capital in a bid to revitalize Ecuador's economy, which languished under the socialist policies of the former President Rafael Correa.
The following are excerpts from a written interview with Moreno conducted by The Japan News.
Q: What direction is the Ecuadorian government taking after the previous administration?
Lenin Moreno: We have reconstructed the State; we have broken with the abuse and corruption that had been generated in the previous government. We are recovering public institutions for social benefit, and we are building a transparent State that respects the democratic principles and division of powers and that responds to the national objectives and interests of our citizens.
We have firmly committed to honesty, ethics and political decency. After a decade of waste and discretionary use of public resources, the current administration manages the economy with honesty and ethics. We are committed to the development of a management with transparency in the responsible management of resources. Our commitment is to democracy and its values that are non-negotiable.
This is a government open to dialogue, which seeks to promote a peaceful country without authoritarianism and with better opportunities for everyone.
Q: What is the purpose of your visit to Japan, in addition to commemorating 100 years of diplomatic relations?
A: Ecuador wants to deepen the bonds of friendship and cooperation, and strengthen relations between the two countries and raise them to a level of strategic association, particularly in the economic-commercial sphere and in the promotion of investments in strategic sectors, in the framework of concrete expressions of friendship between both peoples.
It is very important for our country to commemorate the first centenary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, as a milestone that allows us to project ourselves into the future in all areas with Japan.
In addition, it is necessary to position Ecuador as a strategic partner in Latin America and obtain the concrete cooperation of Japan for the implementation of the whole life, on disability, renewable energy, sports and culture, among others.
Q: Why are you only visiting Japan on this trip? Why not China or Korea?
A: For schedule things, we are pleased to visit only Japan and prioritize the centenary of our relations. Ecuador seeks to refresh and strengthen commercial and bilateral relations with all countries that have common interests and that generate benefits for our peoples; so, we hope to visit in the future other countries in Asia to build a broad and permanent dialogue with all nations and expand our ties in cooperation and investment with Ecuador.
Q: What do you expect from Japan?
A: We hope to continue negotiations and achieve the prompt signing of an agreement to avoid double taxation and tax fraud. Subsequently, the support of the government of Japan is expected to initiate talks on the Bilateral Investment Agreement and, in the near future, begin dialogue on a possible trade agreement.
Considering the economic reactivation policies that encourage Japanese companies to invest abroad, Ecuador hopes to achieve more investment from the country. This will allow us to position ourselves as a strategic receiver of investments.
In addition, we are aiming to sign a cooperation agreement repayable by 70 million dollars, to partially finance a project for changing the country's energy matrix.
It is important to note that our foreign policy with several countries already has had positive results. Between January and May in 2018, they approved investment contracts with various companies in the world worth about 900 million dollars. In addition, in June, 114 investment agreements worth approximately 9.4 billion dollars were signed. This is a reflection of the confidence that Ecuador is creating among national and international investors.
Q: What do you expect from the Japanese government and Japanese companies?
A: With regards to the Japanese government, we expect an opening to deepen bilateral dialogue, strengthen existing cooperation mechanisms and create new mechanisms, primarily for increasing bilateral trade and promoting economic cooperation and investment.
With Japanese companies, we hope they have the confidence to invest in Ecuador to the extent that we have generated a climate of legal certainty for investment, so we look to establish ourselves in the same destination. We want them to become strategic partners, and there are incentives and benefits for investors applied through the recently approved Law of Productive Development and Investment Attraction.
The Japanese government and Japanese companies must see Ecuador as "a land of opportunity." We will hold a meeting with representatives of the Japan Business Federation, which brings together companies and major Japanese corporations, in order to promote and disseminate projects and investment opportunities in the country.
Q: Do you have different expectations for economic cooperation with China compared to Japan? If so, what are they? Is the door open equally, or does your approach differ by sector?
A: Ecuador maintains important and close relations with all countries of the world. Japan and China have agreements ranging from economic to cultural in nature. In trade, our country seeks to strengthen and expand the presence of Ecuadorian products in these markets.
In particular, Japan is one of the most important cooperating countries for Ecuador in key areas such as prevention and mitigation of natural disasters, public health and clean energy; in turn, it is a market with enormous potential for our export products.
Q: What is the criterion regarding non-economic areas such as disaster measures and reconstruction?
A: Ecuador is a country at high risk for natural disasters. The earthquake of April 16, 2016, constituted evidence of the forces of nature but also of our responsiveness, and we felt both internal and international solidarity. Japan delivered humanitarian cooperation, for which I express gratitude on behalf of the Ecuadorian people.
Our relationship has continued to facilitate exchanges on experiences with natural disasters. And our resilience and ability to favorably react to these disasters has strengthened over time. We learn from the experience of others on these issues and invest economic and human resources on prevention.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
