EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell on Tuesday underscored the importance of maintaining peace in the Taiwan Strait.
Speaking at a plenary session of the European Parliament, Borrell described the Taiwan Strait as “the most strategic strait in the world, in particular for our trade.”
The session was attended by more than 70 members of the European Parliament.
Photo: AFP
“It is not only for a moral reason that an action against Taiwan must necessarily be rejected. It is also because it would be, in economic terms, extremely serious for us, because Taiwan has a strategic role in the production of the most advanced semiconductors,” he said.
Borrell said that if the EU wants to be a geopolitical power, it must be present in all parts of the world to assert its positions and defend its interests, as well as call for calm and prevent provocations.
“Taiwan is clearly part of our geostrategic perimeter to guarantee peace,” he said.
Borrell was speaking on the issue of clarity and unity regarding the EU’s China policy with regard to Taiwan.
He said Europe’s strategy toward China has to be based on four elements: values, economic security, Taiwan and Ukraine.
China’s role following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine would be key to whether EU-China relations can develop normally, Borrell said.
“Our relationship with China cannot develop if China does not use its influence on Russia to get Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine and end the war,” he said.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that as China emerges as a global political and economic player, it is all the more important for Europe to manage its relations with Beijing based on its own interests.
“A strong European China policy relies on strong coordination between member states and EU institutions, and on the willingness to avoid divide-and-conquer tactics,” said Von der Leyen, who recently accompanied French President Emmanuel Macron on a trip to Beijing.
China’s shows of military force in the South and East China seas, as well as its border with India, “directly affect our partners and their legitimate interests. Or on the issue with Taiwan,” she added.
“The EU’s ‘one China’ policy is long-standing. We have consistently called for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, and we stand strongly against any unilateral change of the status quo, in particular by the use of force,” she said.
A Chinese aircraft carrier group entered Japan’s economic waters over the weekend, before exiting to conduct drills involving fighter jets, the Japanese Ministry of Defense said yesterday. The Liaoning aircraft carrier, two missile destroyers and one fast combat supply ship sailed about 300km southwest of Japan’s easternmost island of Minamitori on Saturday, a ministry statement said. It was the first time a Chinese aircraft carrier had entered that part of Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), a ministry spokesman said. “We think the Chinese military is trying to improve its operational capability and ability to conduct operations in distant areas,” the spokesman said. China’s growing
Nine retired generals from Taiwan, Japan and the US have been invited to participate in a tabletop exercise hosted by the Taipei School of Economics and Political Science Foundation tomorrow and Wednesday that simulates a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan in 2030, the foundation said yesterday. The five retired Taiwanese generals would include retired admiral Lee Hsi-min (李喜明), joined by retired US Navy admiral Michael Mullen and former chief of staff of the Japan Self-Defense Forces general Shigeru Iwasaki, it said. The simulation aims to offer strategic insights into regional security and peace in the Taiwan Strait, it added. Foundation chair Huang Huang-hsiung
PUBLIC WARNING: The two students had been tricked into going to Hong Kong for a ‘high-paying’ job, which sent them to a scam center in Cambodia Police warned the public not to trust job advertisements touting high pay abroad following the return of two college students over the weekend who had been trafficked and forced to work at a cyberscam center in Cambodia. The two victims, surnamed Lee (李), 18, and Lin (林), 19, were interviewed by police after landing in Taiwan on Saturday. Taichung’s Chingshui Police Precinct said in a statement yesterday that the two students are good friends, and Lin had suspended her studies after seeing the ad promising good pay to work in Hong Kong. Lee’s grandfather on Thursday reported to police that Lee had sent
A Chinese ship ran aground in stormy weather in shallow waters off a Philippines-controlled island in the disputed South China Sea, prompting Filipino forces to go on alert, Philippine military officials said yesterday. When Philippine forces assessed that the Chinese fishing vessel appeared to have run aground in the shallows east of Thitu Island (Jhongye Island, 中業島) on Saturday due to bad weather, Philippine military and coast guard personnel deployed to provide help, but later saw that the ship had been extricated, Philippine navy regional spokesperson Ellaine Rose Collado said. No other details were immediately available, including if there were injuries among
RSS