A robust economy and mature democracy are Taiwan’s top two assurances against being “sold out” in the shadow of China’s growing financial prowess, but the country should also strive to forge closer economic ties with other regions, Charles Tannock, chairman of the European Parliament Taiwan Friendship group, said in an interview with the Taipei Times last week.
The London-based Tannock was with a delegation of nine members in his first trip to Taiwan.
“Of course we would be concerned if there was any evidence of this country being sold out entirely to Chinese political and economic interests, but I don’t think there is any evidence,” he said.
“I don’t even think it is remotely possible … [because] your economy is too large and too robust,” he said. “Your people are far too independent-spirited to allow such a thing,” he said, expressing confidence in both Taiwanese voters and leaders.
Tannock has been a longstanding ally of Taiwan on the European front, supporting the country’s bid for increased participation in international organizations, including the World Health Assembly and most recently, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and International Civil Aviation Organization.
Tannock has also been an advocate for Taiwan’s inclusion in the Schengen visa-waiver program, which he said could be approved as early as the first quarter of next year.
He said that the UK and Ireland had already granted Taiwanese visa-free access, so “there should be no technical concerns” over the issue, downplaying concerns over Taiwan’s passport issuance process.
Tannock also dismissed speculation that Beijing was a factor in the delay, saying the postponement was mainly because the current European Commission was a “lame duck” as it awaits the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty early next year.
Tannock also praised recent cross-strait rapprochement and President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) for his “pragmatic manner” in dealing with Beijing, such as pushing for a Taiwan-China economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA).
Describing a meeting with Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Tannock said the delegation did not fully share the pan-green camp’s anxiety that an ECFA would “lock Taiwan exclusively into an asymmetric … relation with China.”
“If that were the case, I would be the first say that’s not appropriate and dangerous to Taiwanese independence and sovereignty,” Tannock said.
What would cause his group to worry about cross-strait relations would be “anything that results in the re-emergence of tension.”
“We don’t have a problem with Taiwan declaring independence, but we do have a problem [as] China has threatened a war over it and what it would mean in terms of escalation and perhaps even globally … We all want to see a detente, a thawing [of what] was a very tense situation two years ago,” he said.
Tannock also said that despite China’s expanding economic muscle, the EU is unlikely to lift its 20-year arms embargo against Beijing because of China’s human rights issues.
The embargo reflects the 27-nation bloc’s commitment to the security of both Taiwan and Japan, he said.
Tannock, however, encouraged a gradual development of various versions of confidence building measures or “some forms of communications” between the military on both sides of the Taiwan Strait to decrease the chance of a misunderstanding or an incident.
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