The European Parliament yesterday passed a resolution stating that UN Resolution 2758 does not have any bearing on Taiwan’s participation in the UN or other international organizations, and rejected as unacceptable any unilateral change to the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait.
The motion passed by 432 votes in favor and 60 against with 71 abstentions during a plenary vote.
The resolution condemned China’s continued military provocations against Taiwan, including drills around the nation on Monday last week.
Photo: AFP
“Any attempt to unilaterally change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, particularly by means of force or coercion, will not be accepted and will be met with a decisive and firm reaction,” it says.
It also states that UN Resolution 2758 “takes no position on Taiwan” and said the parliament “strongly rejects and refutes the PRC’s [People’s Republic of China’s] attempts to distort history and international rules.”
The members called on the EU and its member states to support Taiwan’s “meaningful participation” in international bodies, including the WHO, International Civil Aviation Organization, Interpol and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, while also calling on the UN Secretariat to allow access to Taiwanese, including journalists.
The resolution also condemned Chinese “gray zone” warfare tactics, including cyberwarfare and disinformation campaigns, to undermine trust in Taiwan’s democracy and institutions, and called for greater cooperation between the EU and Taiwan to counter these efforts.
At the same time, the EU resolution reiterated that the bloc’s “remains committed to its ‘one China’ policy as the political foundation of EU-China relations.”
It is the latest European statement about the UN resolution following a speech by European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights Nicolas Schmit at the parliament on Tuesday.
In the speech, the EU official reiterated the bloc’s long-held “one China” policy, but added that the EU and Taiwan are “like-minded” and the European Commission opposes “any unilateral actions that change the status quo by force or coercion.”
The European commissioner — speaking on behalf of EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and European Commission Vice President Josep Borrell — also reiterated the EU’s stance that maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is of “strategic importance for regional and global security and prosperity.”
For the first time, the official mentioned China’s interpretation of UN Resolution 2758.
“United Nations Resolution 2758 is very short — only 150 words,” Schmit said. “And among those 150 words, the word ‘Taiwan’ does not appear.”
“The resolution switched representation in the United Nations from the ‘representatives of Chiang Kai-shek’ [蔣介石] to the ‘representatives of the Government of the People’s Republic of China,’” he said.
“I welcome the European Parliament’s focus on this issue and this important debate. We should take all opportunities to promote a more positive dynamic in cross-strait relations, which contributes to peace, not only in the region, but also globally,” he added.
Schmit’s address was significant because it is the first time the European Commission, the executive branch of EU, has “expressed its view” on the issue, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
The ministry called on more countries around the world to join the EU and the US in addressing Beijing’s “misinterpretation of the resolution” to uphold peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
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