The European Parliament yesterday passed a report calling for closer cooperation between Taiwan and the eurozone on political, economic and cultural affairs.
Meeting in Strasbourg, France, the members of the European Parliament voted 580 to 26, with 66 abstentions, in favor of the report on EU-Taiwan political relations and cooperation.
The lawmakers hailed Taiwan as a key EU partner and democratic ally, and a contributor to the rule-based international order in the Indo-Pacific region amid intensifying geopolitical tensions, the European Parliament said in a news release.
Photo courtesy of the Taipei Representative Office in the EU
A bilateral economic agreement between the EU and Taiwan should be designed, and the bloc must do more to address tensions with China and protect Taiwanese democracy, the statement added.
The report urged European states to bolster official ties with Taiwan, while pursuing closer relations, such as economic, scientific, cultural and personal interactions, including high-level exchanges.
The conduct of interactions is to be guided by the EU’s “one China” policy, the European Parliament said.
The European Economic and Trade Office in Taiwan should be renamed the European Office in Taiwan, it added, while voicing support for the proposed establishment of the Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania.
EU lawmakers condemn Bejing’s economic sanctions against Lithuania, it said.
In the report, the European Parliament additionally voiced support for Taiwan’s bid to take part in the WHO, the International Civil Aviation Organization, Interpol and the UN’s Framework Convention on Climate Change.
“[The] parliament insists that any change to Chinese-Taiwanese relations must be neither unilateral nor against the will of Taiwanese citizens,” it said, before warning of a “direct connection between European prosperity and Asian security.”
In Taipei, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said that the resolution reflects a groundswell of popular support in Europe for Taiwan and that it marked the progress Taipei has achieved in fostering better ties with the bloc.
The nations of the world are viewing China in a different light and this is especially true for Eastern European countries, which experienced authoritarian rule and democratization as Taiwan did, he said.
These countries understand and empathize with Taiwan’s difficult position of being on the geostrategic front line against an authoritarian regime, he added.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a news release saying that it thanked the European Parliament for its support of Taiwan.
The resolution suggests a broad spectrum for cooperation in politics, trade, public health, culture and education, technology, geopolitics, the fight against disinformation, semiconductor supply chains and digital transformation, the ministry said.
The document is of historical importance in marking a new era for Taiwan’s relationship with the bloc, it said, adding that Taiwan would continue to enhance substantive ties and endeavor to become an indispensable EU ally in the Indo-Pacific region.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS