Visiting Taiwan is a gesture of support and care for the country, a German parliamentary delegation said yesterday.
The 10-member delegation, which arrived in Taiwan on Monday for a four-day visit, consists of Free Democratic Party (FDP) lawmakers who are on defense, foreign affairs, human rights and humanitarian aid committees.
“Taiwan is at the forefront of a new systemic competition we have in the 21st century,” FDP deputy chair Johannes Vogel said.
Photo: CNA
The party hopes that Germany and other European countries can be more interested in issues regarding freedom and democracy, which are at the core of this competition, Vogel said.
The delegation is in Taiwan to learn from and exchange views on these issues, and show support for the nation, he said.
“A change of the status quo in the Taiwan Strait is only thinkable by mutual agreement and in a peaceful way,” he said, adding that any attempts to change it by force, or threatening to do so, is “unacceptable.”
“I’m happy to be here and we feel very comfortable, even [if] the ambassador of China was not so happy about our trip,” German Bundestag Defense Committee Chairwoman Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmerman said.
As members of parliament in a free country like Germany, “we can travel wherever we want,” she said.
She underlined the importance of the visit, saying that “it is very important to see the other side of the world” while Europe is facing the challenges posed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Donations to Ukraine by Taiwan are impressive, she said, adding that Germans “are astonished that a country so far away on the other side of the world is ready to help Ukraine.”
The delegation is here to share the values of democracy and freedom with Taiwan, as “democracies have to stand together,” she said.
It is possible for Germany to help Taiwan play a bigger role on the global stage, despite the lack of formal diplomatic relations, Vogel said.
For example, Germany can help Taiwan reactivate its observer status in the WHO, he said.
The German government is discussing a new China strategy and hopes to reduce its economic dependence on China, he said, adding that Germany encourages investment in Taiwan and vice versa.
Asked whether it would be possible for Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) to make an official visit to Germany, Vogel said that it would be a decision for the German government to make.
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