The head of the European Parliament delegation that visited Taiwan from 3-5 November, Raphaël Glucksmann (S&D, France), stressed at a press conference on Friday 5 November that the island is “not alone”.
“All political groups [represented in the delegation] are united in supporting Taiwan’s democracy”, he added, stressing that Taiwan was one of, if not the most vibrant democracy in the region.
The Parliament delegation called for a strengthening of the relationship between the EU and Taiwan, as outlined in the resolution adopted by the European Parliament on 21 October (see EUROPE 12817/12).
Members of the delegation highlighted cooperation in terms of combating disinformation and foreign interference, which was the subject of the visit to Taipei. “Taiwan is an example of how to fight foreign interference in a democracy”, Mr Glucksmann said, recalling that Taipei was responding to disinformation and interference with more democracy. He added that the delegation would bring the secrets of Taiwan’s success to Europe.
“In a discussion with MEPs, we agreed that it would be good to create a kind of informal forum, called ‘Annual Dialogue on the Defence and Development of Democracy’”, announced Andrius Kubilius (EPP, Lithuania). The possible establishment of a joint centre on disinformation in Taipei was also mentioned.
In addition to cooperation in the fight against disinformation, MEPs highlighted cooperation on trade and investment, particularly in the semiconductor and digital sectors.
According to the Head of Delegation, there will be more and more high-level cooperation and partnerships between the EU and Taiwan in the coming months and years. “There is still a long way to go to improve this relationship”, he said.
Mr Glucksmann also called on the international community to interact more with Taiwan to reduce tensions with China. Beijing protested against the MPs’ visit to the island. According to the MEP, the more the international community engages with Taipei, the less dangerous the situation in the Taiwan Strait will be. “The more we show that we care about the relationship with Taiwan, the less likely we are to have a conflict with Beijing”, he added.
“We will not do anything to provoke another power, but we will not stand idly by for fear of letters of provocation or sanctions”, warned the Head of Delegation, who is already subject to sanctions from Beijing. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)