China’s increasing military provocations against Taiwan were at the core of a discussion at the European Parliament last week. MEPs criticised the recent manoeuvres in the Taiwan Strait, expressed their solidarity with Taiwan and called on the EU and its member states to support Taiwan’s meaningful participation in relevant international organisations, including the World Health Organization, the International Civil Aviation Organization, Interpol, and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. In a resolution, the Parliament also urged the UN to provide Taiwanese nationals and journalists access to UN premises. European Parliament also highlighted the continued distortion by the Chinese regime of the UN Resolution 2758.
It is not rare for the European Parliament to express concern about China’s aggressive behaviour in the Taiwan Strait, the East China Sea, and the South China Sea or about severe human rights issues related to Beijing’s repressive policy. However, this was the first time the European Commission has expressed its views on UN Resolution 2758.
On October 22, European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights Nicolas Schmit delivered a speech titled “On the misinterpretation of the UN Resolution 2758 and its continuous military provocations around Taiwan” at the plenary of the European Parliament on behalf of the High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell.
The EU engages with Taiwan
Commissioner Schmit focused on three points: the “One China” policy, the EU’s interest in maintaining close relations with Taiwan, and the EU’s direct interest in “preserving the status quo in the Taiwan Strait.”
The EU and its member states recognise the “One China” policy issue. However, the Commissioner explained that this “means that we recognise the government of the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal government of China”.
On the second point, Commissioner Schmit highlighted that Taiwan is a democratic Republic based on the rule of law, respects human rights and shares the same values as the EU.
“In many ways, the European Union and Taiwan are like-minded,” noted the Commissioner.
Thus, he clarified the EU’s policy towards Taiwan.
The EU has “an interest in maintaining close relations with Taiwan. Taiwan is a vibrant democracy. Our cooperation and dialogue with Taiwan are getting more intense on a broad range of issues, in line with our interests and values. In short, we engage with Taiwan in the absence of diplomatic relations,” he stressed.
The EU is concerned about the increasing Chinese aggression in the area that threatens peace and stability. China’s routine warship and aircraft operations around Taiwan, as well as its large-scale military exercises that encircle the island, most recently on October 14, increase cross-strait tensions in the Taiwan Strait, which is of strategic importance for regional and global security and prosperity.
“Displays of force and increasing tensions and threats in regional hotspots such as in the South and East China Sea and the Taiwan Strait have a direct impact on European security and prosperity. Thus, the European Union has a direct interest in the preservation of the status quo in the Taiwan Strait,” highlighted Commissioner Schmit.
He added that the EU opposes “any unilateral actions that change the status quo by force or coercion”. “It is for this reason that we closely follow all developments around the Taiwan Strait,” he explained.
The Commissioner urged both sides of the Taiwan Strait to “exercise restraint and avoid any actions that may further escalate cross-strait tensions, which should be resolved through dialogue.”
UN Resolution 2758
On September 12, the Dutch House of Representatives passed a resolution acknowledging that China does not have administrative power over Taiwan. The Resolution also recognised that China is blocking Taiwan’s participation in the UN, which goes against the interests of the Netherlands.
The Resolution highlighted that the Netherlands recognised that China’s policy of Taiwan’s isolation harms Dutch interests.
During the last two years, other EU member states, mainly in the Baltics, Scandinavia, and Central Europe, have upgraded their relations with Taiwan, although they have not yet established diplomatic relations.
Taiwan’s advances in technology and health make the republic a valuable partner for the EU. However, China still gives a distorted interpretation of UN Resolution 2758, thus building on it to isolate Taiwan and advance its claims over the island.
Commissioner Schmit said, “United Nations Resolution 2758 is very short—only 150 words. And among those 150 words, the word ‘Taiwan’ does not appear. The Resolution switched representation in the United Nations from the ‘representatives of Chiang Kai-shek‘ to the ‘representatives of the Government of the People’s Republic of China‘.”
The Commissioner’s speech is significant because, for the first time, the EU clarified its position on the UN Resolution, allowing hopes that this would be translated into concrete policies.
“I welcome the European Parliament’s focus on this issue and this important debate”, he added. “We should take all opportunities to promote a more positive dynamic in cross-Strait relations, which contributes to peace, not only in the region but also globally”.