December 14, 2017
No.236
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomes a European Parliament resolution adopted December 13 including a paragraph that reaffirms the importance of peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region and reasserts its support for Taiwan’s participation in international organizations.
The resolution approving the text of the European Parliament’s Annual Report on the implementation of the Common Foreign and Security Policy, passed at a plenary sitting in Strasbourg, France, includes the following statement concerning the Republic of China (Taiwan):
“[The European Parliament] stresses that preserving peace, stability and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region is of substantial interest to the EU and its Member States; calls on all the parties concerned to resolve differences through peaceful means and to refrain from taking unilateral action to change the status quo, including in the East and South China Seas and the Taiwan Strait, in order to safeguard regional security; reiterates its commitment to supporting Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organisations and activities.”
This text clearly states that maintaining peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region is in line with the interests of the EU and its member states, and that unilateral changes to the regional status quo should be avoided, including in the Taiwan Strait. Furthermore, it underscores support for Taiwan’s participation in international organizations and activities, once again demonstrating the European Parliament’s longstanding friendship and staunch support of Taiwan. MOFA expresses its gratitude to the European Parliament for adopting it.
In recent years, the European Parliament has incorporated wording favorable to Taiwan into its Annual Report on the implementation of the Common Foreign and Security Policy on several occasions, referring to such issues as cross-strait relations and regional trends, and reiterating support for Taiwan’s international participation. The content of this year’s text tallies with the ROC government’s unswerving policy of pursuing peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, maintaining the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, and seeking meaningful participation in international organizations.
MOFA calls on the EU and its member states to continue to pay attention to Asia-Pacific security and the peaceful development of cross-strait relations, uphold the common values of democracy, freedom, and human rights, and support Taiwan’s participation in regional and global organizations, mechanisms, and activities so that it can make an even greater contribution to the international community. (E)