The Ministry of Foreign Affairs today expressed gratitude for two resolutions passed by the European Parliament yesterday that back deepening ties with Taiwan and voice concern about heightened tension across the Taiwan Strait.
The parliament yesterday adopted the annual report on the implementation of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and the annual report on the implementation of the Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP).
The CFSP resolution said Taiwan is an important democratic ally of the EU in the Indo-Pacific region, urging the EU and its member states to continue to work closely with Taiwan in deepening economic, trade and investment ties.
Photo: AFP
The parliament also criticized the provocative military actions taken by China against Taiwan.
China has attempted to distort UN resolution 2758 to impede Taiwan’s international participation, the CFSP resolution said, stressing that China’s claim to Taiwan has no ground in international law.
Only the democratically elected government in Taiwan can represent Taiwanese, the CFSP resolution said, urging the EU and its member states to convey a clear message stating that any forceful attempt to unilaterally change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait would not be accepted.
The CSDP resolution strongly condemned China’s increasing online attacks, cognitive warfare, intrusion in Taiwan’s air defense identification zone and damaging Taiwan’s undersea cables.
The EU affirms its steadfast commitment to maintaining the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, the CSDP said, praising Taiwan’s self-restraint while calling on China to stop its aggressive behavior.
Meanwhile, the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) yesterday also expressed concerns about China’s military drills around Taiwan yesterday and Tuesday that raised tension and risks in the Taiwan Strait.
The FCDO reiterated that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait serve its interest and are critical to global prosperity.
According to the statement, the UK thinks the Taiwan issue should be settled peacefully by the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, through constructive dialogue, without the threat or use of force or coercion.
The UK supports freedom and openness in the Indo-Pacific region and opposes any attempts to change the status quo, it said.
In a similar vein, Canada's Global Affairs department called for a peaceful resolution of cross-strait differences and condemned China's recent drills.
"These threatening actions are increasing tensions and destabilizing the region, impacting global security and prosperity," the government department said in a Facebook post. "Canada calls on China to resolve cross-Strait differences by peaceful means."
Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) today thanked the European parliament for its support.
Taiwan would continue to deepen cooperation and exchange with the parliament to strengthen democratic resilience and construct a mutually beneficial alliance network based on common values, he said.
Lin also thanked the UK and Canada for supporting peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
Facing Chinese intrusion, Taiwan would continue to strengthen its self-defense capability and to work closely with like-minded allies to safeguard the rule-based world order, he said.
He condemned China for unilaterally raising regional tensions and called for the global community to address China’s military threats, legal warfare and grey zone tactics employed to coerce Taiwan.
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