European Parliament Vice President Nicola Beer in Taipei yesterday urged China to refrain from “threatening gestures” that could alter the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait.
Beer made the statement during a meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).
“We call on the People’s Republic of China to refrain from its threatening gestures” and instead “take an active and constructive part in maintaining and securing the current status quo based on neutral and respectful dialogue,” Beer said.
Photo: Taiwan Presidential Office via AP
Beer is leading a delegation from the European Parliament in Taiwan through today.
While the EU remains committed to having good relations with China, it has “deep and serious concern about China moving in a direction that could unilaterally alter the status quo” in cross-strait relations, she said.
Only Taiwanese can decide their nation’s future, Beer said, adding that societal development should continue in a “free and peaceful” manner.
Europe would “stand up against any provocation or threatening of the status quo” while working to contribute to peace and stability in Asia, she said.
Taiwan is a “responsible and reliable international partner,” Beer said, speaking favorably of a bilateral investment agreement between Taiwan and the EU, as well as an upgrade of the EU’s representative office in Taiwan.
Taiwan-EU relations have progressed a long way, Beer said, adding that her visit as vice president of the European Parliament is indicative of that.
“The EU parliament is pushing European institutions and its members, also in their respective national member states, to [develop] ever closer relations with Taiwan in the economic field, sciences, student exchange, [and] agriculture,” she said.
Tsai expressed the hope that the sides would begin talks for a bilateral investment agreement, saying it would “generate even greater well-being among our people.”
Taiwan looks forward to boosting cooperation with fellow democracies to “jointly create a resilient democratic alliance,” Tsai said, adding that the nation could share its experiences of being on the front line for the defense of democracy.
German-born Beer has been a member of the European Parliament since 2019. She is the first vice president of the legislative body to visit Taiwan in an official capacity. Previous vice presidents have visited as lawmakers rather than executives.
The delegation also met with Deputy Legislative Speaker Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌), Minister Without Portfolio Audrey Tang (唐鳳) and Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chiu Tai-san (邱太三), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
EU STATEMENT
In related news, the EU on Tuesday said it supported “preserving peace and the status quo in the Taiwan Strait,” after the bloc’s incoming ambassador to China voiced support for “reunification.”
Jorge Toledo Albignana, who is to take up his post in Beijing in September, told La Vanguardia, a Spanish-language newspaper, in an interview published on Sunday that the EU would support “peaceful reunification” instead of “independence for Taiwan,” when asked how the EU would react in the event of a Chinese attack on Taiwan.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) on Tuesday underlined Taiwan’s right to self-determination, saying that “only the people of Taiwan can determine its future.”
Asked about Albignana’s remarks, EU spokesperson Peter Stano told the Central News Agency later in the day that the EU remains committed to a “one China” policy.
“Within this policy, we are also pursuing friendly relations and close cooperation with Taiwan in a wide range of areas,” Stano said.
The EU also has an interest in “preserving peace and the status quo in the Taiwan Strait as well as Taiwan’s democratic system of governance,” he said.
“We encourage a peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues. Tensions should be resolved through dialogue,” he added.
Stano said that Albignana had not yet officially taken up his ambassadorial post in China, adding that the bloc’s delegation in Beijing “is still headed by the Ambassador [Nicolas] Chapuis who delivers the EU’s positions and explains EU policies” in an official capacity.
Additional reporting by Jake Chung
INVESTIGATION: The case is the latest instance of a DPP figure being implicated in an espionage network accused of allegedly leaking information to Chinese intelligence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) member Ho Jen-chieh (何仁傑) was detained and held incommunicado yesterday on suspicion of spying for China during his tenure as assistant to then-minister of foreign affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮). The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said Ho was implicated during its investigation into alleged spying activities by former Presidential Office consultant Wu Shang-yu (吳尚雨). Prosecutors said there is reason to believe Ho breached the National Security Act (國家安全法) by leaking classified Ministry of Foreign Affairs information to Chinese intelligence. Following interrogation, prosecutors petitioned the Taipei District Court to detain Ho, citing concerns over potential collusion or tampering of evidence. The
‘FORM OF PROTEST’: The German Institute Taipei said it was ‘shocked’ to see Nazi symbolism used in connection with political aims as it condemned the incident Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), who led efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), was released on bail of NT$80,000 yesterday amid an outcry over a Nazi armband he wore to questioning the night before. Sung arrived at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning in a recall petition forgery case on Tuesday night wearing a red armband bearing a swastika, carrying a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and giving a Nazi salute. Sung left the building at 1:15am without the armband and apparently covering the book with a coat. This is a serious international scandal and Chinese
Seventy percent of middle and elementary schools now conduct English classes entirely in English, the Ministry of Education said, as it encourages schools nationwide to adopt this practice Minister of Education (MOE) Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) is scheduled to present a report on the government’s bilingual education policy to the Legislative Yuan’s Education and Culture Committee today. The report would outline strategies aimed at expanding access to education, reducing regional disparities and improving talent cultivation. Implementation of bilingual education policies has varied across local governments, occasionally drawing public criticism. For example, some schools have required teachers of non-English subjects to pass English proficiency
TRADE: The premier pledged safeguards on ‘Made in Taiwan’ labeling, anti-dumping measures and stricter export controls to strengthen its position in trade talks Products labeled “made in Taiwan” must be genuinely made in Taiwan, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday, vowing to enforce strict safeguards against “origin laundering” and initiate anti-dumping investigations to prevent China dumping its products in Taiwan. Cho made the remarks in a discussion session with representatives from industries in Kaohsiung. In response to the US government’s recent announcement of “reciprocal” tariffs on its trading partners, President William Lai (賴清德) and Cho last week began a series of consultations with industry leaders nationwide to gather feedback and address concerns. Taiwanese and US officials held a videoconference on Friday evening to discuss the