EU lawmakers meet Taiwan premier in first official visit

TAIPEI – Bumping their elbows successful greeting, European Union parliamentarians met with Taiwan's premier connected Wednesday successful the archetypal authoritative sojourn of an EU delegation to the self-ruled island, which is besides claimed by China.

Thirteen members of the EU committee connected overseas interference successful antiauthoritarian processes are visiting Taiwan, aft the European Parliament passed a solution past period calling for the assemblage to “intensify EU-Taiwan governmental relations."

“Although we are geographically precise acold away, betwixt our 2 sides, we stock the aforesaid values, specified arsenic freedom, democracy, quality rights and regularisation of law. ... In those regards, we are really precise close,” Taiwan's Premier Su Tseng-chang said.

The European delegation volition besides conscionable President Tsai Ing-wen and Digital Minister Audrey Tang, and sojourn Taiwanese deliberation tanks, NGOs and others moving connected countering disinformation.

The sojourn comes amid increasing enactment for the antiauthoritarian island, which China claims arsenic portion of its territory to beryllium annexed by unit if necessary, and rising antagonistic perceptions toward Beijing successful Western countries.

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“The flourishing of your ideology is formidable and this is wherefore we are truthful blessed to beryllium here,” said Raphael Glucksmann, the seat of the overseas interference committee. ”You person shown that successful this portion ideology tin flourish and that authoritarian regimes are not the future."

Lithuania, an EU member, accepted Taiwan's petition successful July to unfastened a typical bureau successful its superior metropolis that volition enactment arsenic a de facto embassy. It has besides donated hundreds of thousands of vaccines to the land this year, provoking China's displeasure. In August, China withdrew its ambassador to Lithuania successful protestation and expelled Lithuania's ambassador from Beijing.

In October, the EU Parliament voted to walk a solution connected Taiwan issues, noting tensions successful the South China Sea.

The non-binding resolution, which passed with 580-26 votes and 66 abstentions, calls connected the EU to instantly statesman taking steps to found a bilateral concern statement with Taiwan. It besides proposes the politically symbolic motion of changing the sanction of the typical bureau successful Taiwan from the European Economic and Trade Office successful Taiwan to the European Union Office successful Taiwan.

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The study besides calls connected China to enactment an contiguous extremity to its "ongoing intrusions into Taiwan’s aerial defence recognition zone,” saying that the “EU greatly values information successful the Taiwan Strait.”

China has sent an expanding magnitude of combatant jets toward the land successful a prolonged run of subject harassment since astatine slightest past year, erstwhile Taiwan began publically releasing the data. China has said it sends the planes arsenic a informing to “Taiwan separatists” and to safeguard its sovereignty.

The study besides echoed the U.S. stance, arsenic Secretary of State Antony Blinken precocious called for different members of the United Nations to backmost Taiwan's autarkic information successful planetary groups.

Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu visited the Czech Republic and Slovakia past week connected a circuit to measurement up practice with the 2 countries.

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