May 25, 2024
No. 185
The 25 cochairs of the Formosa Club in Europe, who represent members of the European Parliament, European national parliaments, and the Canadian Parliament, issued a joint statement on May 24 congratulating Taiwan on the inauguration of President Lai Ching-te and Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim and expressing grave concern regarding China’s launch of a military drill around Taiwan on May 23.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of the Republic of China (Taiwan) welcomes the statement and extends its sincere gratitude to the Formosa Club in Europe for its staunch, long-term support for Taiwan’s democracy.
The Formosa Club statement noted that delegations from all over the world attended President Lai’s inauguration ceremony to show their support for Taiwan’s vibrant democracy and that, during his inaugural address, President Lai reaffirmed Taiwan’s democratic values and emphasized his commitment to maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. The statement added that, regrettably, only three days after Taiwan’s new government took office, China blatantly launched the two-day Joint Sword-2024A military drill around Taiwan, escalating regional tensions.
The statement stressed the strong international consensus that peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait were indispensable to global security and prosperity. It observed that China had repeatedly threatened Taiwan’s democracy, unilaterally disrupted the cross-strait status quo, and undermined peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific. Noting that the timing of Joint Sword-2024A once again represented China’s deliberate suppression and intimidation against Taiwan’s democracy, the Formosa Club in Europe urged China to act rationally and exercise restraint, stop unilaterally undermining the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and refrain from activities that raise regional tensions.
In their statement, the cochairs also recognized that Taiwan had actively contributed to global welfare across various domains, including global health, while continuing to face ongoing Chinese intimidation. They once again urged the World Health Organization to prioritize the well-being of all and invite Taiwan to meaningfully participate in this year’s 77th World Health Assembly.
MOFA once again thanks the Formosa Club in Europe for its long-standing concern for Taiwan Strait security and for continuing to take concrete actions that demonstrate staunch support for freedom and democracy in Taiwan. Going forward, Taiwan will continue to strengthen cooperation and exchanges with like-minded partners in Europe and elsewhere so as to jointly safeguard the values of freedom and democracy, maintain the rules-based international order, and show the world the determination to defend democratic Taiwan. (E)