Europe must 'stand firm' with Taiwan, says EU lawmaker
Taiwan's 23 million people live under the constant threat of invasion by authoritarian China, which claims the self-ruled island and has vowed to one day seize it. ― Reuters pic
TAIPEI, July 19 ― Europe must support Taiwan's democracy, a senior EU lawmaker said today at the start of a trip to the island, citing both Russia's invasion of Ukraine and China's crackdown in Hong Kong.
Nicola Beer, one of the European Parliament's vice presidents, arrived for what Taiwan's foreign ministry described as “the first official visit” by an MEP of her rank.
Beer told reporters upon arriving that “now is the moment to stand firm on the side of Taiwan”, calling Europe and the island part of a “family of democracies”.
“Taiwan's bloom is also Europe's bloom. We won't have a blind eye on China's threats to Taiwan. Europe was late for Hong Kong, we won't be late for Taiwan,” she said, referring to Beijing's recent dismantling of Hong Kong's democracy movement.
“There is no room for Chinese aggression in democratic Taiwan. For the moment, we witness war in Europe; we do not want to witness war in Asia”.
Taiwan's 23 million people live under the constant threat of invasion by authoritarian China, which claims the self-ruled island and has vowed to one day seize it.
Russia's assault on Ukraine has deepened fears both within Taiwan and among key Western allies that Beijing might do the same under President Xi Jinping.
Beer's visit is likely to upset China, which opposes any official exchanges between Taiwan and foreign politicians.
But Beer said “political need” brought her to Taiwan in her “official capacity”.
Last year, China condemned a visit to Taiwan by a European Parliament delegation led by French MEP Raphael Glucksmann, a vocal China critic who was among five lawmakers sanctioned by Beijing.
Beer, a lawyer and a member of Germany's liberal Free Democratic Party, is scheduled to meet President Tsai Ing-wen and other top officials during her three-day visit. ― AFP
TAIPEI, July 19 ― Europe must support Taiwan's democracy, a senior EU lawmaker said today at the start of a trip to the island, citing both Russia's invasion of Ukraine and China's crackdown in Hong Kong.
Nicola Beer, one of the European Parliament's vice presidents, arrived for what Taiwan's foreign ministry described as “the first official visit” by an MEP of her rank.
Beer told reporters upon arriving that “now is the moment to stand firm on the side of Taiwan”, calling Europe and the island part of a “family of democracies”.
“Taiwan's bloom is also Europe's bloom. We won't have a blind eye on China's threats to Taiwan. Europe was late for Hong Kong, we won't be late for Taiwan,” she said, referring to Beijing's recent dismantling of Hong Kong's democracy movement.
“There is no room for Chinese aggression in democratic Taiwan. For the moment, we witness war in Europe; we do not want to witness war in Asia”.
Taiwan's 23 million people live under the constant threat of invasion by authoritarian China, which claims the self-ruled island and has vowed to one day seize it.
Russia's assault on Ukraine has deepened fears both within Taiwan and among key Western allies that Beijing might do the same under President Xi Jinping.
Beer's visit is likely to upset China, which opposes any official exchanges between Taiwan and foreign politicians.
But Beer said “political need” brought her to Taiwan in her “official capacity”.
Last year, China condemned a visit to Taiwan by a European Parliament delegation led by French MEP Raphael Glucksmann, a vocal China critic who was among five lawmakers sanctioned by Beijing.
Beer, a lawyer and a member of Germany's liberal Free Democratic Party, is scheduled to meet President Tsai Ing-wen and other top officials during her three-day visit. ― AFP
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kt comments:
Clear case of EU's deliberate interference in China's domestic affairs - even Taiwan has acknowledged she's China as well
Wakakaka…
ReplyDelete"Europe was late for Hong Kong, we won't be late for Taiwan"
What a fart!
Is Europe, or for that matter USofA late for Ukraine?
Where were u, then & now?
Ooop… helping Ukraine to last till his last citizen while burning banned coal to keep warm!
Hah ! Serbia !
DeleteThere is an attempt by Russia, China and their supporters to whitewash the barbaric actions of Serbia in the 1990s.
Slobodan Milošević
Radovan Karadžić
Ratko Mladić
The roll-call of evil Class A war criminal who carried out the genocide by Serbia and its allies against the racial minorities of the former Yugoslavia.
Sarajevo
Mostar
Srebrenica... the names of the sites of the ethnic massacres must not be forgotten.
Mfer, don't u forgotten that all involving parties had their bloodied hands in the genocidal wars in the Balkan regions!
DeleteOoop… don't count output uncle Sam & NATO!
The People's Republic of China has made a huge issue in the past of how sacrosanct is its sovereignty with regard to Taiwan issue.
ReplyDeleteMost European countries , especially those which had cultivated close commercial ties with the People's Republic of China had decided to respect that.
Then Xi's Buddy "Friendship without Limits" Puting raped Ukraine's sovereignty without Ukraine firing a single shot at Ruzia..
The People's Republic of China's hypocrisy in not only NOT condeming Ruzia's violation of Ukraine's sovereignty, NAY, China gave Puting the Green Light, and is aiding and abetting Ruzia in all manner of real and practical ways.
This has opened the eyes of many in Europe to the true nature of the People's Republic of China.
Make no mistake, many in Europe see Ruzia's invasion of Ukraine as an existential threat. The Americans are 4,000 kilometers on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean,and can easily walk away if they had to, but not Europeans.
It is a practical possibility to drive Ruzian T-80 tanks from the Ruzian border right into the Central Square in Prague. The Ruzian Army did just that in 1968, and the 2022 Ruzian invasion of Ukraine is a rude recurrence of the 54-year old nightmare.
Hypocrisy?
DeleteYr f*cked definition, right?
When USofA bulldozing his armies all-over the world in the name of demoNcracy policing, what have those countries under that Yankee rampages did to US?
When the people in Donbass region of the Ukraine suffered under the inhumane killings of the Ukrainian nationalists, where were those EU dickheads , now clamoring for public shows to justify their political existence of human rights?
When US/NATO incessantly bombed Serbia, w/o a vote in UN, where was yr sacrosancity of sovereignty with regard to Serbia?
Many in Europe see Russia's special military operation in Ukraine as an existential threat. How about the Russians seeing that cold-war mentality of the NATO eastward expansion to encircle Russia? DemoNcractic dollhouse play amongst 'friendly' neighbours?
Indeed, it is a practical possibility to drive Russian T-80 tanks from the Russian border right into the Central Square in Prague. So too would the NATO missiles raining onto Moscow within 10 min.!
The Yank are 4,000 kilometers on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, and can easily walk away if they had to, but not Europeans.
Then why side with the Yank & not talk terms with Russia? The Russians have been dying to work, economically & militarily, with his western neighbours ever since the collapse of the SU. Yet the EU, especially NATO under the guidance of USofA have consistently rejected ANY cooperation's with Russia!
Ooop… yr uncle Sam is a protector of the free world. The Russko bear cannot be trusted. So too the Chinese! Must listening & following closely what the tail acts & days.
NATO = US ! NATO is the mongrel dog of the US, slavishly bowing to every command from that Master Terrorist of the World. The US/EU elites are in cohort, hoping that Putin would get kicked out, salivating at the repeat prospect of the West making amazingly lucrative deals with a new Russian puppet leader. Alas, that dream went down the drain and has become a fantasy now.
ReplyDeleteThese white supremacist elites see themselves as THE ruler of a globalised ONE WORLD and the rest have to cater to their pleasures. But as usual, there's trouble in paradise....Russia, China, and now together with Iran are threatening this Western hegemony which they arbitrarily, arrogantly labelled as " rules-based international order ", ignoring the UN charter and over-riding the UN international rules. In this latest crisis, Europe is the sacrificial pawn for the US' hegemony. Europe is on the verge of complete breakdown, crumbling right in front of our eyes - running out of food, fertilizer, natural gas, electricity, diesel. Inflation is shooting high up and recession is just round the corner. Germany, the engine of Europe, is almost collapsing. All it needs is for Russia to turn off the Nord Stream pipeline and Europe won't survive the winter.