Taiwan wants to secure peace and stability by maintaining the “status quo” across the Taiwan Strait, which it shares with China, and needs the support of European states to do so, Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said yesterday.
“In order for Taiwan to stay strong and resilient and to have the courage to continue the policy of maintaining the status quo, we do need support from European friends,” Wu said in a speech at a conference in the Czech capital, Prague.
Wu said Taiwan was drawing lessons from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to strengthen its resilience against China, which he referred to by the initials of its official name, the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
Photo: EPA-EFE
“For many observers around the world, the [Chinese army] invasion may not be imminent or unavoidable, and Taiwan and [its] partners are trying to prevent it from happening,” Wu said.
“But the PRC is following Sun Zi’s (孫子) The Art of War (孫子兵法), trying to crush the enemy without going to war. As we speak, the PRC is continuing to flex its muscles to intimidate Taiwan, including sending its warplanes and vessels across the median line of the Taiwan Strait,” he said.
Taiwan has no formal diplomatic ties with any European country except the Vatican.
However, it maintains extensive informal relations, and central and eastern European countries have been particularly keen to show support for Taiwan — especially following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — defying Beijing’s anger about such contacts and reducing Taiwan’s diplomatic isolation.
Wu spoke at a think tank event immediately after an opening speech by Czech President Petr Pavel, which Wu watched from the front row. Pavel left the room after his speech.
Wu, on a second trip to the central European NATO and EU member country after a 2021 visit, on Tuesday met with Czech Senate Speaker Milos Vystrcil, who has been at the forefront of Czech efforts to build a closer relationship with Taiwan and visited it in 2020.
Two sources briefed on Wu’s trip, who spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak with the media, said Wu was also expected to visit Brussels, the headquarters of the EU.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday last week urged Europe not to have any official exchanges with Taiwan or support any “independence forces.”
In other news, Gian Marco Centinaio, vice president of the upper house of the Italian parliament, arrived in Taiwan yesterday for a six-day trip, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Centinaio’s trip represents the highest-level visit by an Italian parliamentarian since Taipei severed diplomatic relations with Rome in 1970, it said.
The delegation, which also includes Italian Senator Elena Murelli, is the first parliamentary group to visit Taiwan since Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of the Brothers of Italy took office in October last year.
The delegation aims to gain a deeper understanding of Taiwan and explore opportunities for bilateral collaboration in the fields of politics, trade, technology and culture, among others, the ministry said.
Additional reporting by CNA
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