The international political influence of the EU is second only to that of the US. With the 10 Central and Eastern European states that joined the EU on May 1, the organization now includes 25 member nations and represents 450 million people. This has greatly increased the EU's international influence. The EU is Taiwan's third largest trading partner, and the trade relationship was further strengthened with the establishment of the European Economic and Trade Office in Taiwan on March 10 last year.
In response to the political and economic benefits resulting from the EU's eastward expansion, Taiwan should make good use of the existing trade cooperation mechanism to further develop our relationship with the EU in general and the new member states in particular.
The government has already formulated a policy to deepen and widen the bilateral Taiwan-EU relationship. Given the current international political environment, Taiwan has to direct further efforts towards creating a breakthrough in unofficial exchanges with the EU and to establish normal diplomatic relations with each member state. There is still a lot of room for Taiwan and the EU to further develop mutual cooperation, in particular in the field of the protection of human rights.
Most EU countries are old democracies that pay great attention to the implementation of universal values such as democracy, freedom and the protection of human rights. This coincides with President Chen Shui-bian's (
The European Commission is a supra-national organization, and the EU's main executive institution. The European Commission has directorates-general on international relations, economic and financial affairs, agriculture, fisheries, energy and transport, employment and social affairs, research, education and culture, and justice and home affairs. These institutions have all achieved quite important political results. Taiwan could invite officials from these specialized areas to exchange development experiences, strengthen knowledge about Taiwan among specialized EU officials and advance mechanisms and opportunities for mutual functional cooperation.
Taiwan stresses social mechanisms for the protection of human rights, a liberal democratic system and a diversified, free economic system. These ideals coincide with the basic values of the EU's member states. Taiwan and the EU can continue to expand channels for cooperation based on pragmatism and mutual benefits in areas such as trade exchanges, research and development, protection of human rights, environmental protection and even culture and education, in order to increase the wealth for the peoples on both sides and to promote a prosperous and developing bilateral relationship.
Chen Lung-chu is the chairman of the Taiwan New Century Foundation. Translated by Perry Svensson
It is employment pass renewal season in Singapore, and the new regime is dominating the conversation at after-work cocktails on Fridays. From September, overseas employees on a work visa would need to fulfill the city-state’s new points-based system, and earn a minimum salary threshold to stay in their jobs. While this mirrors what happens in other countries, it risks turning foreign companies away, and could tarnish the nation’s image as a global business hub. The program was announced in 2022 in a bid to promote fair hiring practices. Points are awarded for how a candidate’s salary compares with local peers, along
China last month enacted legislation to punish —including with the death penalty — “die-hard Taiwanese independence separatists.” The country’s leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), need to be reminded about what the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has said and done in the past. They should think about whether those historical figures were also die-hard advocates of Taiwanese independence. The Taiwanese Communist Party was established in the Shanghai French Concession in April 1928, with a political charter that included the slogans “Long live the independence of the Taiwanese people” and “Establish a republic of Taiwan.” The CCP sent a representative, Peng
Japan and the Philippines on Monday signed a defense agreement that would facilitate joint drills between them. The pact was made “as both face an increasingly assertive China,” and is in line with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s “effort to forge security alliances to bolster the Philippine military’s limited ability to defend its territorial interests in the South China Sea,” The Associated Press (AP) said. The pact also comes on the heels of comments by former US deputy national security adviser Matt Pottinger, who said at a forum on Tuesday last week that China’s recent aggression toward the Philippines in
The Ministry of National Defense on Tuesday announced that the military would hold its annual Han Kuang exercises from July 22 to 26. Military officers said the exercises would feature unscripted war games, and a decentralized command and control structure. This year’s exercises underline the recent reforms in Taiwan’s military as it transitions from a top-down command structure to one where autonomy is pushed down to the front lines to improve decisionmaking and adaptability. Militaries around the world have been observing and studying Russia’s war in Ukraine. They have seen that the Ukrainian military has been much quicker to adapt to