A regional Belgian parliament on Saturday passed a resolution calling on Brussels to support diplomatic efforts to ease tensions in the Taiwan Strait.
The Brussels-Capital Region Parliament passed the “Motion for a resolution on Taiwan’s place in the international arena” with 70 votes in favor, zero against and 10 abstentions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a news release on Saturday.
The resolution, the first passed by the parliament, calls on the regional government to encourage the Belgian Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation to support the resumption of dialogue at all levels between Taiwan and China and to support diplomatic initiatives aimed at defusing tensions in the Asia-Pacific region, the Taipei Representative Office in the EU and Belgium said.
Photo: Reuters
The proposal urges the Belgian government to support the development of trade between Taiwan and the Brussels-Capital Region and promote partnerships with Taipei in various fields, as well as encouraging the European Commission to extend commercial and industrial cooperation with the nation and to support its democracy and freedom, the office said.
The resolution also urges Brussels to support Taiwan’s participation in international organizations such as the WHO, the International Civil Aviation Organization and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, it said.
This is the fifth resolution passed by regional and national bodies in Belgium in support of Taiwan since 2019, following ones passed by the Belgian Chamber of Representatives in July 2020, the Flemish Parliament in March 2021, the Belgian Senate in March 2021 and the Wallonia Parliament in October 2022, it said.
The ministry thanked Brussels-Capital Region Parliament for passing the resolution, adding that the overwhelming support was a demonstration that Taiwan and Belgium are like-minded partners that share the values of democracy, freedom and human rights.
The Taipei Representative Office extended its gratitude to the lawmakers who initiated the resolution and the parliament for its passage, adding that it would continue to work closely with Belgium to bolster bilateral ties.
In other news, American Institute in Taiwan Chair Laura Rosenberger on Saturday welcomed a joint statement issued a day earlier by the US and the EU to affirm “the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”
The statement was released following discussions between US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland and European External Action Service Secretary-General Stefano Sannino during the sixth High-Level US-EU Dialogue on China and the fifth US-EU High-Level Consultations on the Indo-Pacific on Feb. 7 and Feb. 8.
“As international recognition of Taiwan’s importance continues to grow,” Rosenberger wrote on X that she was “glad to see” the affirmation from the US and the EU.
Tropical Storm Gaemi strengthened into a typhoon at 2pm yesterday, and could make landfall in Yilan County tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The agency was scheduled to issue a sea warning at 11:30pm yesterday, and could issue a land warning later today. Gaemi was moving north-northwest at 4kph, carrying maximum sustained winds near its center of up to 118.8kph and gusts of 154.8kph. The circumference is forecast to reach eastern Taiwan tomorrow morning, with the center making landfall in Yilan County later that night before departing from the north coast, CWA weather forecaster Kuan Shin-ping (官欣平) said yesterday. Uncertainty remains and
SEA WARNING LIKELY: The storm, named Gaemi, could become a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, with the Taipei City Government preparing for flooding A tropical depression east of the Philippines developed into a tropical storm named Gaemi at 2pm yesterday, and was moving toward eastern Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Gaemi could begin to affect Taiwan proper on Tuesday, lasting until Friday, and could develop into a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, it said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued as early as Tuesday morning, it added. Gaemi, the third tropical storm in the Pacific Ocean this typhoon season, is projected to begin moving northwest today, and be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday, the agency said. Today, there would likely
DISRUPTIONS: The high-speed rail is to operate as normal, while several airlines either canceled flights or announced early departures or late arrivals Schools and offices in 15 cities and counties are to be closed today due to Typhoon Gaemi, local governments announced last night. The 15 are: Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Tainan, Keelung, Hsinchu and Kaohsiung, as well as Yilan, Hualien, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Lienchiang counties. People should brace for torrential rainfall brought by the storm, with its center forecast to make landfall on the east coast between tonight and tomorrow morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The agency issued a sea warning for the typhoon at 11:30pm on Monday, followed by a land warning at 11:30am yesterday. As of
CASUALTY: A 70-year-old woman was killed by a falling tree in Kaohsiung as the premier warned all government agencies to remain on high alert for the next 24 hours Schools and offices nationwide are to be closed for a second day today as Typhoon Gaemi crosses over the nation, bringing torrential rain and whipping winds. Gaemi was forecast to make landfall late last night. From Tuesday night, its outer band brought substantial rainfall and strong winds to the nation. As of 6:15pm last night, the typhoon’s center was 20km southeast of Hualien County, Central Weather Administration (CWA) data showed. It was moving at 19kph and had a radius of 250km. As of 3pm yesterday, one woman had died, while 58 people were injured, the Central Emergency Operation Center said. The 70-year-old