The head of a European Parliament delegation that visited Taiwan last week said there is now a consensus among European political factions that cooperating with Taiwan is important for the bloc, and that he would continue to push for closer bilateral ties.
The delegation, which visited from Wednesday to Friday, comprised members of the European Parliament’s Special Committee on Foreign Interference in all Democratic Processes in the EU, including Disinformation (INGE).
In an interview with French media outlet La Liberation in Taipei on Thursday, INGE President Raphael Glucksmann, who led the delegation, said that the visit was kept low-key before the delegation departed, as the delegates did not want opposition from Beijing to muddle the focus of the visit or put improper pressure on the European Commission.
Photo: Ritchie B. Tongo, EPA-EFE
Although it was not the first time that European Parliament members have visited Taiwan, it was the first official delegation sent by the European Parliament, Glucksmann said.
In the past, there was no consensus on organizing an official delegation to Taiwan, he said, but now, people of different political factions have realized how important it is for Europe to cooperate with Taiwan, which is why the European Parliament decided to send a delegation.
Now that the first trip has been successful, a door has been opened, he said, expressing hope that such visits would become the norm and become more frequent.
During the visit, Glucksmann said that he was impressed by Taiwan’s inclusion of think tanks, non-governmental organizations and journalists in its whole-society approach to combating disinformation, as well as how Taiwan has managed to grow more open in the face of foreign threats.
Asked how supporting Taiwan benefits the EU, Glucksmann said that supporting democracies against authoritarian regimes is in the long-term interest of the EU and is an issue of principle.
If Europe does not take action, Beijing’s appetite will grow, he said, adding that history has shown that conceding to authoritarian and expansionist countries makes them increasingly hard to keep in check.
Although Europe cannot guarantee the safety of Taiwan, it can create a space where Taiwan is not isolated through exchanges in academia, culture and trade, he said.
Such engagements have prompted China to accuse Europe of causing regional instability, but these accusations are false, because cross-strait tension was high before Europe took action in support of Taiwan, Glucksmann said.
It is also because of China’s aggression that Europe has stepped up its cooperation with Taiwan, he added.
Glucksmann said that he would continue to push for closer ties between the EU and Taiwan, and advocate for a bilateral investment agreement.
An Emirates flight from Dubai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport yesterday afternoon, the first service of the airline since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Saturday. Flight EK366 took off from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at 3:51am yesterday and landed at 4:02pm before taxiing to the airport’s D6 gate at Terminal 2 at 4:08pm, data from the airport and FlightAware, a global flight tracking site, showed. Of the 501 passengers on the flight, 275 were Taiwanese, including 96 group tour travelers, the data showed. Tourism Administration Deputy Director-General Huang He-ting (黃荷婷) greeted Taiwanese passengers at the airport and
POSSIBILITIES EMERGE: With Taiwan’s victory and Japan’s narrow win over Australia, Taiwan now have a chance to advance if South Korea also beat the Aussies Taiwan has high hopes that the national baseball team would advance to the World Baseball Classic (WBC) quarter-finals after clinching a crucial 5-4 victory over South Korea in a nail-biting extra-inning game at the Tokyo Dome yesterday. Boosted by three home runs — two solo shots by Yu Chang (張育成) and Cheng Tsung-che (鄭宗哲) and a two-run homer by Stuart Fairchild — the triumph gave Taiwan a much-needed second victory in the five-team Pool C, where only the top two finishers would advance to the knockout stage in Miami, Florida. Entering extra innings with the game tied at four apiece, Taiwan scored
MISSION OF PEACE: The foreign minister urged Beijing to respect Taiwan’s existence as an independent nation, and work together to ensure peace and stability in the region Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) yesterday rejected Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi’s (王毅) comments about Taiwan, criticizing China as a “troublemaker” in the international community and a disruptor of cross-strait peace. Speaking at a news conference on the sidelines of the Chinese National People’s Congress, Wang said that Taiwan has always been a territory of China and that it would be impossible for it to become its own country. The “return” of Taiwan to China was the natural outcome of the Chinese people’s resistance against Japan in World War II, and that any pursuit of independence was “doomed
One person was killed and another seven injured today when a tourist shuttle bus plunged 30m to 40m down a ravine in Nantou County, the Tourism Administration said. The bus is suspected to have suddenly accelerated out of control near the flower center of the Sun-Link-Sea Forest Recreation Area, a popular attraction during cherry blossom season. Of the eight onboard, a 66-year-old man was killed, four were seriously injured and three sustained minor injuries, including the driver. The Nantou County Police Department said it received a report of the incident at 12:15pm and dispatched seven teams to assist. All surviving passengers have been transferred
RSS