Around 10 members of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) were in Taiwan on Thursday, 3 November, and notably had a meeting with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen. German MEP Reinhard Bütikofer (Greens/EFA), who co-chairs IPAC, joined his colleagues remotely.
Incidentally, he was awarded the Taiwanese Grand Medal of Diplomacy.
Hailing from eight European countries, the parliamentarians in the delegation visiting Taipei called for more trade with the archipelago of Taiwan. “We will push to increase the number of inter-parliamentary visits between Taiwan and our legislatures, to aid mutual understanding and cooperation”, indicated Belgian MP Els Van Hoof.
This visit has come at a time when China is adopting an increasingly harsh tone towards its Taiwanese neighbour and when Europeans are struggling to find a balance between maintaining diplomatic ties with China and supporting Taiwan (see EUROPE 13048/3 and 13012/17). German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is visiting Beijing and is expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on 4 November. EUROPE will continue to follow this story.
At the opening of a meeting of the G7 foreign ministers, German Minister for Foreign Affairs Annalena Baerbock emphasised the need to redefine the nature of relations with China (see other news).
During an IPAC press conference in Taipei on 3 November, Reinhard Bütikofer reiterated that German policy on China was “not defined unilaterally by the chancellor”. Furthermore, Germany’s coalition agreement includes “a clear expression of support for Taiwan’s democracy against China’s aggression”, he explained. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)