Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim’s (蕭美琴) trip to Brussels, where she delivered an address at the European Parliament, marks a new chapter in Taiwan-EU relations, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday.
“The visit marks a historic step forward for Taiwan’s diplomacy, as the nation’s vice president visited a country without official ties [to Taiwan] for the first time and delivered a speech at the European Parliament,” Lin wrote on Facebook.
“Under this new model, Taiwan and Europe will continue to explore more possibilities for cooperation and exchanges,” he wrote. “Taiwan will be more confident in its efforts to move forward on the world stage.”
Photo: AP
Hsiao and Lin on Friday were in Brussels for the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China’s (IPAC) annual summit, during which the vice president gave a speech titled “Taiwan: A Trusted Partner in a Volatile World.”
While Taiwan’s leaders have spoken to parliaments of diplomatic allies before, this was a first at a non-diplomatic partner’s legislature.
Beijing strongly protested the visit.
A spokesperson for the Chinese mission to the EU labeled IPAC an “anti-China organization.”
“Despite China’s strong opposition and solemn representations, the European Parliament allowed leading ‘Taiwanese independence’ figures such as Hsiao Bi-khim to enter its building to attend the summit and carry out ‘Taiwanese independence’ separatist activities,” they said on Saturday, adding that the European Parliament contravened the “one China” principle and is “eroding political mutual trust between China and the EU.”
Lin said he has visited Europe four times since becoming foreign minister last year, which helped deepen mutual trust and laid the groundwork for Hsiao’s visit.
Anticipating possible disruption from China, the trip was kept highly classified, he said.
He also thanked President William Lai (賴清德) for his trust, and European lawmakers for inviting Hsiao to speak.
A diplomatic source said that Hsiao did not know she would be traveling to Brussels until shortly before her departure.
She was initially told her speech would be delivered through a pre-recorded video, the source said.
Despite China’s protests, European officials remained supportive and helped facilitate the visit, the source added.
Tunghai University political science professor Lin Tzu-li (林子立) said Hsiao’s trip was “the most impressive performance of Taiwan’s parliamentary diplomacy in recent years.”
“It will not be the last time we see Taiwan’s senior officials speaking in parliaments or congresses in other democratic countries,” he added.
‘FRIENDSHIP FLEET’: A CGA official is scheduled to meet with the president of the Pacific nation, while one of the ships is to host a banquet and National Day event Two Coast Guard Administration (CGA) patrol vessels have docked at Malakal Harbor in Palau as part of an expedition exercise and diplomatic visit, during which a senior official is expected to meet with Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr, the agency said yesterday. The two vessels, the 4,000-tonne-class Chiayi and the 1,000-tonne-class Penghu, set sail for Palau from Taiwan last week and arrived on Tuesday at Malakal Harbor, the CGA’s Fleet Branch said in a statement. The journey marks the second time the CGA has dispatched a “friendship fleet” to another country, after it sent its first-ever goodwill fleet, comprising the Hualien and
Two executives of drone supplier Jiin Ming Industry Co (錦明實業) have been detained and held incommunicado over the company's alleged use of prohibited China-made chips and camera lenses in drones supplied under recent military contracts, the Taoyuan District Prosecutors' Office said today. In a statement, prosecutors said they raided the offices of Jiin Ming — headquartered in Taoyuan — as well as those of its subsidiaries and its suppliers on Thursday last week. The raids followed a report that the company had breached its procurement contracts by putting the prohibited components into drones delivered to the military. During the raids, prosecutors summoned
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) today said that two of its patrol vessels have docked at Palau's Malakal Harbor as part of an expedition exercise and diplomatic visit, during which a senior official is expected to meet with the Palauan president. The two vessels, the 4,000-tonne-class Chiayi (嘉義) and the 1,000-tonne-class Penghu (澎湖), set sail for Palau from Taiwan last week and arrived at Malakal Harbor yesterday, the CGA's Fleet Branch said in a statement. The journey marked the second time the CGA has dispatched a "Friendship Fleet" to another country, after it sent its first-ever goodwill fleet, comprising the Hualien (花蓮)
DETAILED PLAN NEEDED: Relocating the airport would affect not just travelers, but also undermine national defense and emergency medical services, a legislator said Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) yesterday proposed relocating Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) and turning the site into an artificial intelligence (AI) park, drawing opposition from politicians across party lines. Chiang’s plan would turn the 300 hectares into an AI park featuring tech clusters, residential communities and green space. The industrial cluster would host 200 domestic enterprises, generate NT$12 trillion (US$376.47 billion) in output, and accommodate 65,000 jobs and 35,000 residents, he said. Cabinet spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) said the Executive Yuan was surprised by the announcement, as the Taipei City Government did not discuss the proposal with the central government before making
RSS