EU Chief’s Taiwan Stance Draws Sharp Rebuke from Beijing
By Tsering Choephel
DHARAMSALA, 23 July: The European Union (EU) President Von der Leyen’s pledge to “deter China from unilaterally changing the status quo by military means, particularly over Taiwan” has drawn Beijing’s criticism, calling it a “gross interference” in the country’s internal affairs, taiwannews.com reported on 20 July.
Von der Leyen, who was reelected as the President of the EU Commission on 18 July with 401 votes from members of the European Parliament, described the Indo-Pacific as a “decisive region” in her manifesto. She also called for “collective efforts to deploy the full range of combined statecraft to deter China from unilaterally changing the status quo by military means, particularly over Taiwan.”
Condemning Leyen’s political guideline on Taiwan as “gross interference” in what Beijing insists are its internal affairs, Wang Lutong, the director general for European affairs at the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, responded the next day, saying, “Playing with fire on Taiwan is highly dangerous.”
Moreover, Wang, in reference to the manifesto’s commitment “to work closely with Japan, Korea, New Zealand and Australia to address common challenges in cyber, space and in the secure supply of critical minerals and technologies,” said, “Meddling and even trying to join forces is by no means the right choice for Europe.”
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te congratulated der Leyen on Friday for her second mandate as the chief of the EU Commission and expressed appreciation for her “steadfast support for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.” He added that he looked forward to building even stronger ties with the EU “to build on our shared commitment to human rights and democracy.”
The Chinese Communist government considers Taiwan a breakaway province that Xi Jinping vows to reunite with China, even at the cost of “force,” while Taiwan asserts its sovereignty, vowing to defend its status quo. With the strong backing of the US government and the growing support of European countries, Xi’s ambition for Taiwan’s invasion is greatly challenged.
