May 3, 2023
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of the Republic of China (Taiwan) notes that Deputy Prime Minister of Ireland Micheál Martin, in his address to the Royal Irish Academy’s annual International Affairs Conference on May 2, emphasized that maintaining stability and the status quo in relation to Taiwan is critical and that any attempt to change the status quo by force would be unacceptable. MOFA welcomes and appreciates his statement.
In his speech, Deputy Prime Minister Martin also stated that he agreed with German Minister for Foreign Affairs Annalena Baerbock that any serious escalation of the situation in the Taiwan Strait would send shock waves around the world and have consequences for all countries. Noting that cross-strait tensions are not unrelated to the European Union, he maintained that Ireland should enhance its economic and systemic resilience and work with European Union partners to ensure economic security.
Deputy Prime Minister Martin’s public statement is a reiteration by yet another democratic country on the importance of cross-strait peace and stability, underscoring that maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait has become a major global issue. Similar statements were recently made by United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a press interview on February 24; in the Group of Seven foreign ministers’ communiqué issued on April 18; in the annual foreign policy speech by United Kingdom Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs James Cleverly on April 25; in the joint statement issued by the leaders of the United States and the Republic of Korea on April 26; and in the memorandum of understanding on bilateral cooperation signed between UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on April 27.
Taiwan and Ireland enjoy a partnership founded on shared core values of democracy, freedom, human rights, and the rule of law, and will further bolster cooperation in such domains as agriculture, animal husbandry, biotechnology, machinery, and green energy. Taiwan will continue to fulfill its responsibilities as a member of the international community and work with Ireland and other like-minded partners to make greater contributions to the promotion of freedom, democracy, peace, stability, and sustainable prosperity across the globe.