Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) yesterday thanked the Belgian Chamber of Representatives for unanimously passing a resolution condemning Chinese military activity and reiterating that UN Resolution 2758 does not take a position on Taiwan.
The resolution, proposed by Belgian representatives Els Van Hoof and Nathalie Muylle, passed yesterday with 126 votes in favor, zero votes against and 13 abstentions. It also calls on the Belgian government to urge Beijing to cease escalating tensions in the Taiwan Strait and to resist China’s distortion of Resolution 2758 to exclude Taiwan from international affairs.
It requested the government to advocate in the EU the “strengthening [of] the existing partnership with Taiwan, with a view to promoting common values and principles, including by concluding a resilient supply chain agreement and a bilateral investment agreement.”
Photo: Dirk Waem, AFP
The resolution also called for the government to strive “together with the governments of the federated entities, for more economic, scientific, cultural and parliamentary exchanges between Belgium and Taiwan.”
Beyond bilateral ties, the representatives advocated for Taiwan’s meaningful participation as an observer “in meetings, mechanisms and activities of international bodies,” such as in the WHO and the International Civil Aviation Organization.
They called out China’s escalating aggressive military acts and urged it to “immediately cease all actions and intrusions,” and to stop “all other gray zone military actions, including cyber and disinformation campaigns.”
The Belgian parliament previously passed pro-Taiwan resolutions, one in November 2015 and another in July 2020, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
It is the first time it has passed a resolution condemning China’s threats against Taiwan and the first pro-Taiwan resolution passed since the newly elected parliament opened in July last year, marking a significant stride in Taiwan-Belgium relations, the ministry said.
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