The European Parliament condemned China’s actions against Lithuania over the Taiwanese mission
The European Parliament’s resolution on EU-Taiwan relations welcomed plans to establish a Taiwanese representation in Lithuania and condemned Beijing’s “reaction to the imposition of economic sanctions on Lithuania”.
MEPs called on Josep Borrell, the European Union’s foreign affairs center, the European Commission and the Council of the European Union to “take appropriate action”.
“The European Parliament’s first resolution on EU-Taiwan relations shows that the EU is ready to strengthen its relations with that country. The European Commission must work towards a comprehensive EU-Taiwan cooperation agreement and prepare for negotiations on a bilateral investment agreement by the end of the year, “said Charlie Weimers, a Swedish MEP.
The resolution was supported by 580 MEPs, 26 against and 66 abstentions. All Lithuanian representatives supported this document. The resolution was drafted by the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs.
The document also expresses concern about China’s continuing aggression against and pressure on Taiwan. Politicians have called on China not to resort to changes in unilateral relations or against the will of Taiwanese citizens.
The parliamentarians also called on the EU and states to take action to maintain peace and stability on both sides of the Taiwan Strait and to establish a partnership with the Democratic Taiwanese government.
To reflect the wide range of EU-Taiwan relations, it was proposed to “change the name of the European Economic and Trade Office in Taiwan to the European Union Office in Taiwan”.
The document emphasizes the importance of trade and economic relations between the EU and Taiwan, especially in the areas of 5G technology and semiconductors.
Lithuanian representative Rasa Juknevičienė stated that “the example of Taiwan shows that the Chinese nation can live democratically, successfully, prosperous and without aggression.”
For his part, Petras Auštrevičius emphasized that political ambitions and China’s greatest aggression internationally were “a growing challenge and a strategic threat to Taiwan’s democratic future and the well-being of its people.”
Lithuania’s relations with Taiwan began to deepen after the new government took office last year, but this angers China, which sees Taiwan as part of its own country trying to secede.
Lithuania and Taiwan each other planned trade missions.
China recalled its ambassador to Lithuania in the summer and instructed the country to do so after confirming that Vilnius allowed the opening of a mission using Taiwan’s name. The country’s ambassador to China Diana Mickevičienė returned to Vilnius in early September.
Elsewhere in the world, the Taiwanese mission on behalf of the capital, Taipei, has not acted to treat Taiwan as a separate state, given the international consensus that such a name is not contrary to the “one China” policy.
Beijing has also recently taken steps to stop freight trains to Lithuania, issue food export permits, lower credit limits for Lithuanian companies and raise prices.