Taiwan’s deputy foreign minister asks support from EU countries against China

By Anadolu staff

BERLIN (AA) - Taiwan on Wednesday asked for support from European countries against China, accusing Beijing of trying to change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait through military threats, economic intimidation and cyberattacks.

Delivering a speech at the Berlin Security Conference, Taiwan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Roy Chun Lee said Europeans should maintain a unified policy toward China, and should not repeat Ukraine policy mistakes, this time in the Indo-Pacific region.

“I believe that European countries should stand with Taiwan, not only for democracy, not only to defend the rules-based international order, but also because European countries are direct stakeholders of potential tension in the Taiwan Strait,” Lee said.

He underlined that Taiwan is of key importance for EU countries, as it is supplying high-tech products, such as semiconductors, to the bloc.

“European Union countries are direct stakeholders, it is not a conflict in a remote area. It should be accommodated as a European policy decision-making,” he said.

Beijing considers Taiwan “an inseparable part of Chinese territory” and has repeatedly urged other nations to refrain from actions that would send a wrong signal to “separatist forces” seeking independence.