MEPs have adopted a resolution that “condemns China’s continued military provocations against Taiwan” and firmly rejects any unilateral change to the status-quo in the Taiwan Strait.
These attempts, it says, “particularly by means of force or coercion, will “not be accepted and will incur a decisive and firm reaction.”
The European Parliament resolution was adopted with 432 in favour, 60 against and 71 abstentions.
It calls on China to “stop distorting international rules.”
The resolution, initiated and spearheaded by the centre right EPP Group, also calls on the EU and its Member States to support Taiwan’s meaningful participation in relevant international organisations.
These include the World Health Organization, the International Civil Aviation Organization, the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. It also calls on the UN Secretariat to grant Taiwanese nationals and journalists the right of access to UN premises for visits, meetings, and news-gathering activities, which, it says, they are currently denied “due to Chinese intervention.”
No one from the Chinese authorities was immediately available for comment but EPP MEP Miriam Lexmann said,“Allowing the Chinese Communist Party to continue distorting UN Resolution 2758 and turning a blind eye to the increased military exercises around Taiwan threatens global peace and security.
“We must stand up for the truth, freedom and international law,” Lexmann insists.
By adopting the text, MEPs said they also intend to underline that Taiwan is the EU’s key partner and a like-minded democratic friend in the Indo-Pacific region.
MEPs warned that any attempt to unilaterally change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, in particular through the use of force or coercion, will not be accepted “and will be met with a firm and resolute response.”
Support also came from the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) which said it too welcomed the adoption of the resolution condemning the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) “military provocations around Taiwan and its manipulation of UN Resolution 2758.”
The ECR Group, which co-sponsored the resolution, says it too has always been a “strong” advocate of Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organisations, including those dealing with pandemics, health or the security of civic aviation.
ECR MEP Mariusz Kamiński, who spoke on behalf of the Group in the debate in Strasbourg on Thursday, said, “In the 1970s, with hopes of stability and peace, the People’s Republic of China was granted a seat at the UN, opening the door to unprecedented economic and technological development.
“Beijing has seized this opportunity, benefiting from its close ties with the West,” said Kamiński.
“However, through its current actions, such as its support for Russia in its aggression against Ukraine and its aggressive expansion in the Indo-Pacific region, Beijing is failing to fulfil its obligations as a member of the Security Council under the UN Charter,” he stated.
In Kaminski’s opinion, the European Union should continue to adhere to the EU’s One China policy, supporting peace and stability in the region while emphasising the importance of the status quo in the cross-strait relations.
“Recent Chinese military exercises encircling Taiwan undermine stability in the region. Taiwan is a reliable and proven partner that has built a relationship of trust with us over the years,” Kaminski noted.
