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
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck off the southern coast of Mindanao in the Philippines at 7:38am today, prompting the US Tsunami Warning System to issue an alert for neighboring countries, including Taiwan. The system issued a purple alert indicating a "tsunami threat." The potential threat zone includes Taiwan, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Yap and Palau. Philippine authorities were assessing the damage from the quake, with the office of civil defense seeking to verifying initial reports that 15 people had been killed and 129 injured in the region, mostly from falling debris. Arlene Hollero, disaster chief of Maasim town in the Philippines' Sarangani Province,
‘GRAY ZONE’ PRESSURE: Beijing’s activities are intended to create the deceitful impression that China has jurisdiction over the area around Taiwan, the CGA said Taiwan’s rights over its territorial waters and exclusive economic zone must not be violated by any country, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday, adding that it will not accept any unprovoked actions. The council issued the remarks in response to the China Coast Guard conducting maritime enforcement drills near eastern Taiwan and claiming to fully exercise China’s maritime administrative law enforcement authority. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) has been closely monitoring the situation and is taking concrete steps to defend the nation’s sovereignty and secure its waters, the council said. China has no sovereign rights over the waters off eastern
RESILIENCE: Taiwan plays a key role in semiconductors, energy, information infrastructure and advanced manufacturing, AIT Director Raymond Greene said Taiwan’s continued investment in deterrence and resilience remains vital, especially in uncrewed systems and other emerging technologies, American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Raymond Greene said yesterday. Greene made the remarks at the annual National Strategic Summit on Supply Chain Resilience held by the Research Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology (DSET), a government-backed think tank. As Taiwan last year became the US’ fourth-largest trading partner and supply chain security is becoming more important, cooperation in emerging technologies continues to deepen between the two countries, he said. The US is committed to accelerating innovation, building key infrastructure, strengthening cooperation
The National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology yesterday showcased its locally developed variants of the Vision 60 robotic patrol dog, which it plans to deploy on the nation’s outlying territories in the South China Sea. The variants were produced under the Joint Lab project — created by the institute and domestic companies — and assembled with domestically produced motors, lenses and artificial intelligence (AI) systems alongside licensed tech from the US, Missile and Rocket Systems Research Division deputy director Jen Kuo-kang (任國光) told the media event at a military base in Taipei’s Dazhi (大直) area. Taiwan has built up its strengths
RSS