Taiwan seeks to strengthen cooperation with Europe through foreign minister’s trip  

Taipei, Taiwan   — 

Taiwan’s overseas minister, Lin Chia-lung, wrapped up a weeklong travel to Europe Sunday aft gathering European lawmakers successful Brussels and overseeing efforts to deepen bilateral practice successful processing drone exertion betwixt Taiwan and Lithuania.

Analysts accidental the travel was portion of Taiwan’s ongoing efforts to deepen engagement with European countries and reflected the existent administration’s effort to absorption connected facilitating applicable and tangible practice with idiosyncratic nations.

“European countries and members of the European parliament person pushed for tangible practice that the EU and Taiwan tin some hold on, truthful focusing connected deepening bilateral ties is simply a much realistic attack for Taiwan arsenic it tin assistance tangible examples of economical practice to materialize,” Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy, an adept connected EU-Taiwan relations astatine National Dong Hwa University successful Taiwan, told VOA.

During his seven-day trip, Lin met with respective members of the European Parliament successful Brussels and visited the Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre, which focuses connected nanoelectronics and integer technologies. Lin has made economical and commercialized diplomacy his precedence since becoming Taiwan’s apical diplomat successful May.

Lin besides led a delegation of representatives from 20 Taiwanese drone companies to Lithuania. They attended a forum connected drone technologies and signed 2 agreements that volition facilitate collaboration successful the unmanned aerial conveyance industry.

The signing of the agreements is portion of Taiwan’s efforts to physique a home drone manufacturing industry, which the authorities sees arsenic an important portion of enhancing the island’s wide defence capabilities successful the look of expanding subject unit imposed by China.

Beijing views Taiwan, a self-governing island, arsenic an inalienable portion of its territory that should 1 time reunite with the mainland, by unit if necessary.

In September, Taiwan gathered much than 50 home drone manufacturers and established the Taiwan Excellence Drone International Business Opportunities Alliance, which has been gathering drone improvement partnerships with different countries. On November 16, the confederation signed an statement to beforehand drone improvement with the Polish-Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Experts accidental Lin’s travel tin assistance Taiwan broaden the scope of economical practice with cardinal and eastbound European countries beyond the semiconductor industry.

By focusing connected processing partnerships successful drone improvement with Lithuanian companies, “the travel allows the speech astir economical engagements with Taiwan to determination beyond the absorption connected semiconductors,” Marcin Jerzewski, the caput of the Taiwan Office astatine the European Values Center for Security Policy, told VOA by phone.

Other European analysts accidental since cardinal and eastbound European countries, particularly Lithuania, play an important relation successful supplying drones to Ukraine successful Kyiv's ongoing combat against Russia, Taiwan’s accent connected deepening bilateral practice successful this assemblage could resonate with these countries’ priorities.

Since Taiwan is deepening practice implicit drone exertion “with Lithuania and Poland, 2 front-line countries that person nuanced and realistic views of the threats coming from Russia, this improvement tin assistance amended the defence capabilities successful cardinal and eastbound Europe,” Matej Šimalčík, enforcement manager of the Central European Institute of Asian Studies, oregon CEIAS, told VOA by phone.

During a meal ceremonial marking the 3rd day of the constitution of Taiwan’s typical bureau successful Lithuania connected November 20, Lin said helium expects Taiwan and Lithuania to grow the bilateral concern and “work toward the communal extremity of promoting bid and prosperity.”

Lithuania’s recalibration

Despite Taiwan’s effort to deepen engagement with Lithuania, Lin’s travel comes astatine a clip erstwhile Lithuania’s imaginable caller authorities is considering improving relations with China aft Beijing downgraded diplomatic relations with the Baltic state successful 2021 pursuing the constitution of Taiwan’s typical bureau successful the country.

Gintautas Paluckas, the campaigner that the Social Democratic Party wants to marque premier curate aft coming retired connected apical successful elections past month, expressed his tendency to “normalize” relations with China. He spoke during an interrogation with Lithuanian nationalist broadcaster LRT connected October 31.

“Having mean relations is surely an aspiration due to the fact that the EU – adjacent though relations with China volition not beryllium rosy, they volition reason astir the economy, astir tariffs, astir protectionist measures [...] – but the EU is trying to support diplomatic relations. We cannot autumn retired of this discourse and telephone it leadership,” helium said.

Ferenczy said arsenic Lithuania rethinks its engagement with China, Taiwan’s absorption connected deepening economical ties volition beryllium much “productive” to the sustainability of bilateral ties arsenic it could debar triggering imaginable retaliation from China.

“It volition assistance circumvent subordinate states’ reluctance to prosecute with Taiwan and alternatively bring the benignant of engagement that helps some sides,” she told VOA.

Ferenczy adds that palmy bilateral practice with European countries tin assistance consolidate Taiwan’s engagement with the European Union arsenic a whole.

“Building up stronger bilateral relationships volition assistance consolidate Taiwan’s practice with the EU, arsenic countries that person substance to their partnerships with Taiwan whitethorn beryllium much consenting to clasp Taiwan astatine the European level,” she said.

In effect to questions astir Lin’s travel to Europe, Chinese overseas ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said Beijing opposes immoderate signifier of authoritative enactment betwixt Taiwan and countries having diplomatic ties with China.

“The EU should abide by the one-China principle, halt immoderate signifier of authoritative enactment with the Taiwan authorities, and halt sending incorrect signals to ‘Taiwan independency separatist forces,’” helium said during a property league connected November 20.

Lin Chia-lung's travel marks the 3rd clip a high-level Taiwanese delegation has visited Europe since Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te won elections successful January. As Taipei continues to deepen engagement with European countries, Jerzewski said the Lai medication should see establishing a coherent attack to negociate its relations with Europe.

“Taiwan inactive doesn’t person a factual strategical papers that allows European stakeholders to recognize however Taiwan wants to prosecute with them, and successful bid to marque Taiwan’s ties with Europe much sustainable, specified a papers is important,” helium told VOA.