The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday thanked the Dutch House of Representatives for passing motions in support of maintaining the “status quo” across the Taiwan Strait and closer Taiwan-Lithuania ties.
The Dutch house set a record when it overwhelmingly passed two motions friendly to Taiwan in one day, the ministry said in a news release.
The move again demonstrates the house’s strong support for Taiwan, after it on Tuesday last week passed a motion backing Taiwan’s bid to participate in the International Criminal Police Organization, it said.
Photo: Reuters
Of the two motions passed on Tuesday, one urged the Dutch government to object to any unilateral changes of the cross-strait “status quo” by China, it said.
It was initiated by Dutch lawmaker Raymond de Roon, chairman of the house’s Committee on Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, and was passed by a vote of 120 to 30, the ministry said.
In the proposal, De Roon raised concerns about China’s increasing military activities in the Taiwan Strait and urged other European countries to support Taiwan, the ministry said.
The other motion urged the Dutch government to push the EU to support Lithuania, which is facing retaliation from China over its decision to host the Taiwanese Representative Office in Vilnius and its plans to open a representative office in Taiwan, the ministry said.
The motion was proposed by Dutch lawmakers Ruben Brekelmans and Agnes Mulder, and passed by a vote of 117 to 33, it said.
According to the house’s Web site, De Roon, Brekelmans and Mulder belong to the Party for Freedom, the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy, and the Christian Democratic Appeal party respectively.
Taiwan and the Netherlands are good partners that share the values of democracy, rule of law, freedom and human rights, the ministry said.
Bilateral relations have been close and friendly, and the two sides would continue to bolster cooperation in trade, environmental protection, disease prevention, technology, energy and innovation, among other areas, it added.
Taiwan and the Netherlands would also join efforts to tackle challenges posed by transnational crime, aviation safety and climate change, the ministry said, pledging to make more contributions to global peace, stability and prosperity.
Over the past few years, the Netherlands has become Taiwan’s biggest source of foreign direct investment, as well as Taiwan’s biggest investment destination and second-largest trading partner in Europe, the ministry said in a news release in July last year.
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