MEPs meeting in Strasbourg condemned China’s “continuing military provocations” against Taiwan and “firmly” rejected any unilateral change to the status of the Strait. From the October 14th Beijing has begun maneuvers in the Taiwan Strait, saying it is a response to the president’s refusal to recognize the island as an integral part of the People’s Republic of China.
In a text adopted today in Strasbourg, with 432 votes in favour, 60 against and 71 abstentions, MEPs define the operations as “unjustified”, underlining that the increase in military activity changes the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific region. These attempts, explain the MEPs, in particular with force or coercion, will not be accepted and will incur a decisive and firm reaction.
A very long story
The People’s Republic of China, recognized as China’s sole legitimate representative at the United Nations, has wanted to incorporate the island of Taiwan (Republic of China) into its territory for decades. Beijing in fact considers Taipei as a separatist province and an integral part of its territory, despite Taiwan having been self-governing since 1949 without ever declaring itself independent. Xi Jinping‘s China has intensified its diplomatic and military pressure on Taiwan over the years with military exercises and increasingly aggressive rhetoric due, above all, to the link between Taipei and the United States.
Military provocations
The initiative to encircle the island of Taiwan has been in the air since October 10, when Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te (also known as William Lai) stated that the island “is not subordinate to China” and that Beijing “he has no right to represent Taiwan”, while speaking of possible collaboration between the two governments, during a speech for the island’s national day.
Beijing has therefore deployed warships, jets and troops in what appears to be a real encirclement of Taiwan, preventing the access and exit of ships and planes from the island’s main ports and airports. These exercises, among the largest ever carried out by Beijing around the island, represent a new escalation in tensions between the two sides of the Strait. China considers Taiwan a “rebel” province and has never renounced the use of force to bring it back under its control.
The call of Strasbourg
In its resolution, the European Parliament “firmly” rejected China’s attempts to “distort history and international norms”. The House criticized China’s “constant efforts” to block Taiwan’s participation in multilateral organizations and called on the EU and its member states to support Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations such as the World Health Organization. MEPs also urge the United Nations to grant Taiwanese citizens and journalists the right to access its premises.
The MEPs “strongly” condemn Chinese President Xi Jinping’s statements that the People’s Republic of China will “never” give up the right to use force against Taiwan, insisting that the use of coercive measures to achieve unification contradicts international law. The deputies stress that only Taiwan’s democratically elected government can represent the Taiwanese people internationally and express concern about China’s use of hostile disinformation to undermine confidence in Taiwan’s democracy and governance.
A “global security risk”
For MPs, China’s increasingly aggressive behavior, particularly towards its neighbors such as the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, poses a risk to regional and global security. The need for the EU and its member states to strengthen their maritime capabilities in the region emerges from the plenary session in Strasbourg. Finally, Parliament expressed concern about the renewed commitment of China and Russia to further strengthen their military ties, condemning the Chinese supply of equipment to Moscow.
