National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) on Saturday highlighted the correlation between Europe’s prosperity, and peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region in a public address he gave in the Czech Republic.
“Your future is our future, and our future is your future,” Wu said at an international forum organized by the Slovakia-based non-governmental organization (NGO) GLOBSEC in Prague.
In the face of China’s all-out warfare, “Taiwan’s understanding of the Chinese Communist regime, as well as Taiwan’s experience in tackling Chinese malign influence, is of great value to all,” Wu said.
Photo courtesy of the National Security Council via CNA
However, the nation’s lone effort is not enough as Europe holds the key “to building integrated deterrence against the PRC [People’s Republic of China],” he added.
Many European countries have already carried out measures to improve investment or screen mergers involving China, passed laws on securing critical minerals for strategic sectors, and taken steps to expose Beijing’s industrial spies capable of intellectual property theft and reverse engineering, Wu said.
The EU also developed instruments against economic coercion as a countermeasure to the PRC’s economic coercion, he added.
In contrast to the PRC, Taiwan has been a reliable and like-minded partner to Europe, Wu said, adding that Taiwan also received “unanimous support from the European Parliament last December for a resolution on deepening EU-Taiwan bilateral trade and investment relations.”
Taiwan is committed to enhancing cooperation with European countries in areas such as supply-chain resilience, countering economic coercion and economic security, he said.
In closing his address, Wu said that the Indo-Pacific is a “consequential region for the world’s future, and this is a consequential moment for us all.”
“While war is neither imminent nor inevitable, democratic unity and tenacity are closely monitored by the revisionist and adventurist PRC,” he said.
“European countries must put a price tag on aggression against Taiwan. Only a prosperous Taiwan can ensure a prosperous Indo-Pacific, and only a prosperous Indo-Pacific can ensure a prosperous Europe,” he said. “Your future is our future, and our future is your future.”
Wu made the address during the 19th edition of the GLOBSEC Forum, held from Friday to yesterday in Prague.
The event marked the second time Wu has spoken publicly at the annual forum. The last time was in 2021 as then-minister of foreign affairs.
The GLOBSEC Forum aims to underscore Central and Eastern Europe’s growing significance in upholding global stability, according to event holders.
This year, more than 1,500 participants, including leaders from government, business, academia and NGOs, from more than 70 countries attended the event, they said.
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