Taiwan would be a perfect partner for the EU as the bloc considers building a hub to combat disinformation campaigns by authoritarian regimes, the head of a visiting European Parliament delegation said yesterday ahead of their return to Brussels.
“We can benefit a lot as Europeans from a closer cooperation with Taiwan in the fight against disinformation,” EU lawmaker Raphael Glucksmann told a news conference at the conclusion of the three-day trip to Taiwan.
The EU is considering building a hub to combat disinformation, and the whole delegation agreed that “it should be Taiwan,” he said.
Photo: CNA
“That actually makes a lot of sense, the partnership should grow and get deeper and deeper,” he added.
The delegation — comprising members of the parliament’s Special Committee on Foreign Interference in all Democratic Processes in the European Union, including Disinformation — was in Taiwan to learn how the nation has built a strong democracy while facing threats from China, he said.
Like Taiwan, Europe is facing large-scale actions orchestrated by an authoritarian regime to weaken its democracy, Glucksmann said.
Seeing Taiwan’s successful example, the “idea of the whole society being involved in this fight is crucial for us,” he said.
Asked if the first-ever trip by an official European Parliament delegation to Taiwan could exacerbate tensions across the Taiwan Strait, Glucksmann said he believes that the visit would have the opposite effect.
“We are really convinced that the more you have interaction between the international community and Taiwan, the less dangerous the situation would be in the Strait,” he said.
A trip to Taiwan or a high-level meeting with Taiwanese officials should be considered normal, instead of a provocation that adds fuel to the fire, he added.
Glucksmann said he and the other group members are not afraid of possible Chinese sanctions in response to the visit.
EU lawmaker Petras Austrevicius, a delegation member from Lithuania, said that in the wake of Hong Kong’s return to China in 1997, the world turned a blind eye to Beijing’s actions, which emboldened the Chinese leadership.
Hong Kong’s example shows that an authoritarian government is capable of committing many crimes against humanity, Austrevicius said.
“We cannot afford to be naive any longer,” he said.
Earlier yesterday, Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫堃) met with the delegation at the legislature.
The EU lawmakers had gained insights into Taiwan’s democracy and felt at home here, Glucksmann told You, adding that despite the distance between Taiwan and Europe, Taiwanese have the same concept of democracy and liberty.
The delegation hopes to lay the foundation for warmer ties between Taiwan and Europe, he said, urging more cooperation between the two sides.
You said it was a “warm gesture” that the delegation visited despite the COVID-19 pandemic and Chinese protests.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS