EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell called on European navies to patrol the Taiwan Strait, in an opinion article published in a French weekly yesterday.
Borrell’s comments in Le Journal du Dimanche echoed comments he made last week when he stressed how crucial Taiwan is to Europe.
He said that Taiwan “concerns us economically, commercially and technologically.”
Photo: Bloomberg
“That’s why I call on European navies to patrol the Taiwan Strait to show Europe’s commitment to freedom of navigation in this absolutely crucial area,” he added.
Two weeks ago, China launched three days of military exercises around Taiwan — simulating targeted strikes and a blockade of the nation — in response to a meeting between President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
On Tuesday, in a speech opening a debate on China at the European Parliament, Borrell talked about Taiwan’s importance to Europe.
“Taiwan is clearly part of our geostrategic perimeter to guarantee peace,” he said.
“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.
His comments came after French President Emmanuel Macron earlier this month argued that Europe should not be a “follower” of Washington or Beijing in the event of conflict with China over Taiwan.
Macron’s comments, following a visit to China, sparked criticism from some politicians in the US and inside the EU.
In Taipei, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday thanked the EU for repeatedly underlining the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
The EU shows that it values and supports Taiwan by opposing any unilateral change to the cross-strait “status quo” and stressing that Taiwan is crucial to Europe’s geostrategic interests for its role in the semiconductor supply chain and maintaining regional peace, the ministry said in a statement.
As a key member of the Indo-Pacific region, Taiwan will continue to deepen ties with like-minded democratic partners, enhance key supply chain resilience and safeguard regional peace, stability and prosperity, it added.
Additional reporting by Sally Liu
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to
RSS