EU institutions should “urgently draw up a scenario-based strategy” to tackle Taiwan’s security challenges, the European Parliament said on Wednesday as it adopted the implementation reports on two major EU security policies.
The parliament adopted the annual report on the implementation of the Common Security and Defense Policy with 459 “yes” votes, 93 “no” votes and 85 abstentions, and the implementation report on the Common Foreign and Security Policy with 407 “yes” votes, 92 “no” votes and 142 abstentions.
In its resolution on the defense policy report, the parliament said China had been using its military power to intimidate and threaten its neighbors, referring to China’s military drills around Taiwan in August last year following then-US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei.
Photo: REUTERS
The resolution said that China’s “dangerous military actions and provocations continue to occur on a daily basis.”
The parliament expressed grave concern about China’s military buildup in the South China Sea, its incursions into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, and its disinformation campaign and cyberattacks against Taiwan.
It called on China to stop these actions, saying they threaten the stability of the Indo-Pacific region, and directly affect European prosperity and security.
In the resolution on the foreign policy report, the parliament said it “strongly condemns” China’s continued military provocations against Taiwan, reiterating its firm rejection of any unilateral change to the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait against the will of Taiwanese.
It expressed concern about Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) announcement at the Chinese Communist Party’s 20th National Congress last year that Beijing would not renounce the use of force against Taiwan.
It said Taiwan is a key partner of the EU that shares the bloc’s values, and called for greater cooperation on trade — including signing bilateral investment agreements — as well as customs inspections, diversifying and bolstering supply chains, and combating disinformation.
It encouraged exchanges between Taiwan and the EU “at the most senior levels possible” in culture, science, language education and the media, while reiterating its support for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international bodies and organizations.
In Taipei, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday thanked the parliament for its support, adding that it has over the past two years passed 25 Taiwan-friendly resolutions.
Wednesday’s resolutions demonstrate its strong support of Taiwan and the stability across the Taiwan Strait, Deputy Director-General of European Affairs Lu Shih-fan (呂世凡) said.
The resolutions echo the report on EU-Taiwan Political Relations and Cooperation, which the parliament passed on Oct. 21, 2021, and support efforts to deepen Taiwan-EU ties, he added.
Lu said the government would continue to promote interactions and exchanges with the EU while pursuing peace and stability across the Strait.
Additional reporting by Lu Yi-hsuan
CONGRESSIONAL SUPPORT: A new committee would investigate a backlog of US weapons sales to Taiwan, said its chairman, US Representative Mike Gallagher The US should formally recognize Taiwan as an independent nation, and end its outdated and counterproductive “one China” policy, US Representative Tom Tiffany and 18 other US lawmakers wrote in a petition. “It is time to change the status quo and recognize the reality denied by the US government for decades: Taiwan is an independent nation,” Tiffany told the Epoch Times. “As our long-standing and valued partner, correctly acknowledging their independence from communist China is long overdue.” The resolution also asks the administration of US President Joe Biden to support Taiwan’s membership in international organizations and to negotiate a bilateral free-trade
The Pentagon is preparing for US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy to visit Taiwan later this year, Punchbowl News reported on Monday, citing an official directly involved in the talks. US administration officials anticipate McCarthy would visit Taiwan some time in the spring, the report said. McCarthy had previously pledged to visit Taiwan if he became House speaker. He was elected speaker earlier this month. He had also said that he would have liked to join then-US House speaker Nancy Pelosi’s delegation when she visited Taiwan in August last year. Pelosi’s 19-hour visit to Taipei marked the first time in 25 years
Taiwan’s Chou Chieh-yu (周婕妤) was crowned the Kamui WPA Women’s World 9-Ball Champion after shutting out British pool titan Allison Fisher 9-0 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, the organizers said on Sunday. Following the championship win at Harrah’s Resort and Casino Atlantic City, Chou pocketed US$30,000 and became the first female competitor to hold both the 9-ball and 10-ball world titles since Briton Kelly Fisher in 2012. Chou, 36, won the Predator World Women’s 10-Ball Championship in Austria in September last year after clinching a silver medal at last year’s World Games in Birmingham, Alabama, in July. “I’m very excited and it’s like
JOINT OPERATIONS: Participating in the IMET program, which offers professional training and education to military personnel, would boost Taiwan’s defense capabilities The US government is appropriating funding to help Taiwan participate in its International Military Education & Training (IMET) program to enhance interoperability and capabilities for joint operations of the Taiwanse and US militaries. The funding for Taiwan’s participation in the program is mentioned in the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2023, a US$1.7 trillion spending bill funding the US federal government for the fiscal year 2023. It covers funding for military support for Ukraine, defense spending and regions affected by natural disasters. The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) told the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) that IMET is an important US
RSS