The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday thanked Europe’s Formosa Club for supporting the nation’s right to participate in the WHO and visit diplomatic allies.
The Formosa Club — an interparliamentary group of pro-Taiwan European lawmakers — on Wednesday issued a joint statement at the Unity Summit at the European Parliament.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) attended the event as a guest, the ministry said in a statement.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Members of the group are from the parliaments of the UK, France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Croatia, Romania and Kosovo.
The club expressed disapproval of revoking overflight permits as a means to interfere with the exchange of officials from other countries, the ministry said.
The comment referred to African nations revoking overflight permits to President William Lai (賴清德) ahead of a planned state visit to the Kingdom of Eswatini, actions Lai’s office said were taken due to China’s “economic coercion.”
The club has since its founding in 2019 expressed numerous times its support for Taiwan and concern over China’s military threats directed at the nation, it said.
In October last year, the club held its annual summit in Taiwan that allowed pro-Taiwan European political figures to join forces and showed the group’s resolve to back the nation, it said.
“Taiwan plays an indispensable and increasingly strategic role in Europe’s resilience-building efforts and is central to building trusted, non-red supply chains, including its role in semiconductors, artificial intelligence, as well as the development of the drone industry and unmanned systems,” the club said in the statement.
“We also acknowledge Taiwan’s outstanding contributions in the field of public health. Taiwan’s advanced healthcare system and its proactive international assistance to partners in need have demonstrated its capacity to be a reliable and valuable partner in addressing global healthcare challenges,” it added.
UN Resolution 2758, adopted in 1971 to address the People’s Republic of China’s representation in the UN, does not address Taiwan’s status, a legal interpretation formalized by a resolution the European Parliament passed in 2024, the group said.
The club also supports Taiwan’s bid to make a meaningful contribution to the proceedings of international organizations and frameworks, including the World Health Assembly, it added.
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