A joint statement by 155 members of the European Parliament urging China to refrain from taking further military action in the Taiwan Strait and supporting Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations was delivered to President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday.
European Parliament-Taiwan Friendship Group chairman Werner Langen delivered a copy of the “Statement on promoting peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait” dated Thursday last week during a meeting at the Presidential Office Building in Taipei.
In the statement, the members said that preserving peace, stability and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region is of “substantial interest” to the EU and its member states.
Photo courtesy of the Presidential Office
It also noted the need for the EU to continue supporting the development of peaceful relations between China and its neighbors, including Taiwan, through constructive bilateral and inclusive multilateral mechanisms.
“We emphasize that all cross-strait disputes should be settled by peaceful means on the basis of international law, and call on the parties concerned to refrain from taking unilateral action to change the status quo,” the statement said.
It called on the EU and its member states to do their utmost to urge China to refrain from further military action in the Taiwan Strait.
The statement also reiterated the signatories’ firm support for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations and activities in which its exclusion is not in line with EU interests.
The document was signed by parliamentarians across the body’s seven transnational political groups.
Some of the signatories have occupied significant posts within the parliament or formerly served as premiers, foreign ministers or defense ministers of EU member states, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
It factored in the wordings used by the EU lawmaking body in its Common Foreign and Security Policy, and its reports on the state of EU-China relations, as well as China’s military threats against Taiwan that have been made in the past few months, the ministry said.
The statement came after the parliament on Jan. 30 included developments in cross-strait relations on the agenda for a plenary debate, which the ministry said demonstrated its members’ firm support for Taiwan.
“We will continue to work with the European Parliament to promote Taiwan-EU relations based on the existing foundations,” the ministry said.
During their meeting, Tsai thanked Langen for his steadfast efforts to promote Taiwan-EU ties since he assumed chairmanship of the group.
“The statement goes to show that as long as we adhere firmly to the ideas of freedom and democracy, the international community will offer Taiwan its greatest support,” Tsai said.
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
Typhoon Usagi yesterday had weakened into a tropical storm, but a land warning issued by the Central Weather Administration (CWA) was still in effect in four areas in southern Taiwan. As of 5pm yesterday, Tropical Storm Usagi was over waters 120km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the southernmost tip of Taiwan proper, and was moving north at 9kph, CWA data showed. The storm was expected to veer northeast later yesterday. It had maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126kph, the data showed. The CWA urged residents of Kaohsiung, Pingtung County, Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春) to remain alert to
ONE LAST TALK: While Xi said that Taiwan was a ‘red line,’ Biden, in what is likely his last meeting with Xi as president, called for an end to China’s military activity around Taiwan China’s military intimidation and economic coercion against Taiwan are the main causes of tensions that are destabilizing peace in the Taiwan Strait, Taipei said yesterday while thanking US President Joe Biden for expressing Washington’s firm stance of maintaining peace and stability in the region. Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) met on Saturday for their third meeting and their first talks in seven months on the sidelines of the APEC forum in Lima, Peru. It was likely Biden’s last meeting as president with Xi. During their conversation, Biden reiterated the US’ opposition to any unilateral change to the “status quo” from either
Taiwan would participate in the 2026 APEC summit to be hosted by China after Beijing promised it would ensure the personal safety of attendees, Taiwanese national security sources said yesterday. The APEC Leaders’ Machu Picchu Declaration announced yesterday said that China would host the APEC summit in 2026. Beijing proposed hosting the summit shortly before this year’s gathering began on Friday, a national security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Many APEC members expressed concerns about China hosting the event and said that prior communication over the decision was insufficient, the official said. Taiwan brought up concerns about legal “guidelines” China announced in
RSS