Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) called for more cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to address attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure that threaten their information security during a speech at Vilnius University in Lithuania yesterday.
During the speech, Tsai took note of recent incidents in which undersea cables vital for data transmission across borders in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea were severed over the past year.
Taiwanese authorities have suspected Chinese sabotage of the cables near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have pointed to Russia as likely being responsible for the cable cutting in the Baltic.
Photo: CNA
“Taiwan and our European friends should work closely together on this issue,” Tsai said of the disruptions, calling for the “sharing [of] best practices” to more effectively respond to escalating attacks on their critical infrastructure.
More broadly, Tsai urged democracies to work together on addressing abuses of open information platforms.
Taiwan is “an ideal partner for European countries” as they step up efforts to address disinformation and manipulation campaigns perpetrated by authoritarian regimes with the aim of eroding democratic institutions, said Tsai.
According to Tsai, Taiwan has “gained unique experience and developed innovative tools to counter malign influence” through its extensive exposure to cyberattacks, disinformation operations and large-scale military drills.
The former president also praised the ongoing collaborations between Taiwan and Lithuania initiated during her tenure, during which Taipei opened a representative office in Vilnius and Vilnius established a trade office in Taipei.
The warming of ties between the two since 2021 has faced challenges, however, including Beijing’s punitive economic measures against Lithuania and concerns within Lithuanian society about the political and economic repercussions of deepening such a relationship.
Tsai began the first leg of her European tour in Lithuania on Saturday, meeting with former Lithuanian president Dalia Grybauskaitė and other parliamentarians from the Baltic nation, and visiting a Taiwanese-Lithuanian venture focused on vertical farming.
According to Tsai’s office, she also met with a delegation from the US House of Representatives, including Democrat Betty McCollum and Republican Jake Ellzey.
After visiting Lithuania, Tsai will travel to Denmark and later the UK.
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