European Parliamentarians Visit Taiwan To Deepen Mutual Support

Members of the European Parliament (EP) and German Bundestag arrived on Monday to meet with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) in the first of a series of meetings over the next four days, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) . The lawmakers will discuss bilateral trade cooperation with Taiwan and address emerging human rights concerns together

The visiting delegation includes Till Steffen of the German-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group, Boris Mijatovic from the Human Rights and Humanitarian aid for the Alliance 90, Agnieszka Brugger of the German Greens parliamentary group, and Heidi Hautala, the EP vice-president.

The officials are also set to meet with a number of civil society and environmental groups to get a better grasp of Taiwan’s geo-political as well as domestic situation.

Despite lacking formal diplomatic associations, Taiwan has fostered good relations with the European Union (EU) over the last decade. Last month the EP adopted resolutions expressing concern about China’s aggression over the Taiwan Strait. Likewise the MOFA welcomed resolutions to deepen comprehensive partnerships with the EU.

The MOFA seconded the EP resolutions saying China’s claims “have no basis in international law,” and that “neither Taiwan nor China is subordinate to the other, and that only Taiwan’s democratically elected government can represent the Taiwanese people on the international stage.”

In the last five years, the EP has adopted around 40 resolutions in an effort to cultivate good relations with Taiwan. In 2023 alone, Taiwan brokered 29 various economic agreements within the EU, the Voice of America reports.

In 2022, one EP resolution slammed growing Chinese disruptions in the Pacific, saying “the PRC’s provocative actions against Taiwan and in the South China Sea must have consequences for EU-China relations and that the possibility of contingency planning must be considered.”

Hautala is the second VP of the European Parliament to visit Taiwan, following the visit of VP Nicola Beer two years ago, demonstrating a high level of attention and support for Taiwan.

The three prominent members of the German Parliament have long been concerned about the situation in the Taiwan Strait, supported Taiwan’s international participation, and promoted the deepening of bilateral relations between Taiwan and Germany.

On the other hand, Vice President-elect Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) while away in Europe, was invited by EP officials to pay their chambers a courtesy visit on the same day the delegation met with Tsai.

Hsiao spoke with the EP Committee on Foreign Affairs to discuss security matters. She thanked the EP for their support and expressed hope of continued cooperation among democratic nations.

Hsiao had recently visited the United States then the Czech Republic to speak on China’s recent displays of antagonism with civil society leaders, parliamentarians and policy experts.

READ NEXT: VP-Elect Hsiao Angers China After Landing in Czech Republic

TNL Editor: Michael Beltran, Kim Chan (@thenewslensintl)

If you enjoyed this article and want to receive more story updates in your news feed, please be sure to follow our Facebook.