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.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
RSS