China is increasingly irritated by warming ties between EU politicians and Taiwan.
Beijing responded to a meeting between European lawmakers and Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Thursday by immediately warning the EU to correct its "mistake" if it wanted to avoid a deterioration in ties.
https://www.politico.eu/article/beijing-fires-warning-at-eu-after-meps-meet-taiwan-president/
A visit to Taipei by seven MEPs has already sparked a threat of "further reactions" from China, which is growing increasingly concerned by the warming ties between some European politicians and the self-governing island. The European parliamentarians are also due to meet Taiwan-based U.S. diplomats on Friday, according to an itinerary seen by POLITICO.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi last week warned countries would “pay a price” for developing closer ties with Taiwan.
Responding to the MEPs’ meeting with Tsai on Thursday, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said: “We urge the EU to correct the mistake and not to send any wrong signals to Taiwan independence forces. Otherwise China-EU relations will be damaged.”
Despite Beijing's threats in the buildup to the visit, the MEPs were unfazed, assuring Tsai that the EU stood by Taiwan’s side.
"For the last 30 years, you have made history. Taiwan is today the most vivid, the most robust and the most enlightening democracy in this region," Raphaël Glucksmann, chairman of the Parliament's Special Committee on Foreign Interference, said in the Presidential Office.
"We came here with a very simple, very clear message: Taiwan is not alone," the MEP from the Socialists and Democrats added. "Europe is standing with you, by you, in the defense of freedom, and the defense of rule of law and human dignity."
It is "high time," Glucksmann said, for the EU to step up cooperation with Taiwan.
The self-ruling island has been facing increasingly assertive military moves by Beijing, which claims Taiwan as its own territory. The EU, like most countries in the world, says it upholds a "One China" policy, meaning its formal ties are with Beijing.
In her speech, Tsai called the European Parliament "the focal point" of Taiwan's diplomatic interaction with the EU.
"I believe Taiwan and the EU will surely deepen relationships on more areas," she said. "We expect to have continuous exchanges with more countries on countering disinformation."
Another member of the delegation, Marco Dreosto, from the right-wing Identity and Democracy group, told China Direct that Europe "must choose" democracy over authoritarian regimes. He called Taiwan "a crucial scenario" for the EU.
The trip came shortly after Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu's visit to five European countries — including a secret meeting with officials in Brussels.
https://www.politico.eu/article/beijing-fires-warning-at-eu-after-meps-meet-taiwan-president/
