Slovenia is unlikely to backtrack from pro-Taiwan policies after Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa leaves office, following his electoral defeat last month, an academic said on Saturday.
Jansa, a populist who presided over warming relations between Taiwan and Slovenia, was ousted in the parliamentary elections last month by political newcomer Rober Golob.
Slovenia is unlikely to make fundamental changes to its Taiwan policy, as improving economic and cultural ties between the countries serves Ljubljana’s interests, Taiwan Study Center in Slovenia director Sasa Istenic Kotar said.
Photo: AFP
Under Slovenia: Safe, Successful, Globally Respected: The Foreign Policy Strategy of the Republic of Slovenia, published last year, the country is committed to devoting special attention to the Indo-Pacific region and deepening its cooperation with democratic countries in the region, Kotar said.
The national diplomatic and strategic policy of Slovenia is anchored to the EU’s strategy, which treats China as a systematic rival and a competitor, she said.
“I believe that the new government will follow the EU’s strategy, and that no major changes will happen,” she said, adding that the country might “keep a low profile so as to avoid angering China.”
Slovenia’s adherence to a “one China” policy and efforts to improve ties with Beijing would also continue, she said.
Kotar recently told the Global Taiwan Institute that Slovenia’s bid to obtain a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council — for which it would need Beijing’s support — does not necessarily sink Taipei’s hope of establishing a representative office in Ljubljana.
Taiwan has representative offices in all but six of the 27 countries that make up the EU — Slovenia, Malta, Cypress, Luxembourg, Estonia and Croatia.
As the Slovenian parliament voted for Taiwan’s diplomatic presence to be called the Taipei trade office, it does not anticipate heavy opposition from Beijing, she said.
In addition, Slovenia’s interest in China has cooled after Beijing’s “16+1” bloc failed to deliver on infrastructure and trade promises, she said, adding that Slovenia’s trade deficits with China have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The government considers Taiwan-Slovenia economic cooperation to have great potential, especially in renewable energy, artificial intelligence, technology, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, she said.
“Slovenia’s trade with Taiwan lagged behind that of other central and eastern European countries, and the absence of trade offices is the most glaring obstacle in growing that relationship,” she said.
Taiwan is stepping up plans to create self-sufficient supply chains for combat drones and increase foreign orders from the US to counter China’s numerical superiority, a defense official said on Saturday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, the official said the nation’s armed forces are in agreement with US Admiral Samuel Paparo’s assessment that Taiwan’s military must be prepared to turn the nation’s waters into a “hellscape” for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Paparo, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, reiterated the concept during a Congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday. He first coined the term in a security conference last
Prosecutors today declined to say who was questioned regarding alleged forgery on petitions to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators, after Chinese-language media earlier reported that members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Youth League were brought in for questioning. The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau confirmed that two people had been questioned, but did not disclose any further information about the ongoing investigation. KMT Youth League members Lee Hsiao-liang (李孝亮) and Liu Szu-yin (劉思吟) — who are leading the effort to recall DPP caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) and Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) — both posted on Facebook saying: “I
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,912) for advertisements that exceed its approved business scope, requiring the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license may be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter enforcement of Chinese e-commerce platforms and measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan in response to US President Donald Trump’s heavy tariffs on China. The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee met today to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) said
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,900) for advertisements that exceeded its approved business scope and ordered the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license would be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter supervision of Chinese e-commerce platforms and more stringent measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan as US President Donald Trump’s administration cracks down on origin laundering. The legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday met to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report on the matter. Democratic Progressive Party
RSS