July 24, 2024
No. 250
Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung met with Roderich Kiesewetter, Deputy Chair of the German Bundestag Parliamentary Oversight Panel and a member of the Bundestag Committee on Foreign Affairs, on the morning of July 23. The two exchanged views on a number of issues, including democratic partners’ efforts to counter global authoritarian expansion, security linkages between Taiwan and Europe, and semiconductor technology cooperation between Taiwan and Germany.
Minister Lin thanked Mr. Kiesewetter for his friendly actions in support of Taiwan. Pointing out that the world faced tremendous challenges connected to China’s threat of hybrid warfare in the Indo-Pacific region and across the globe, he called on Germany and other like-minded nations to make a united response. He stated that the world should realize that peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait were vital to ensuring regional security and the stability of global supply chains. Noting that Taiwan and Germany shared vibrant and frequent academic, economic, and trade exchanges, Minister Lin anticipated that the two countries could definitely work together to enhance the resilience of democratic partnerships following the establishment of a foundry by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company in Dresden, Germany.
Mr. Kiesewetter strongly concurred on the importance of solidarity and cooperation between democratic partners, adding that the Russia-Ukraine war had served as a wake-up call. He urged democratic partners not to harbor illusions regarding authoritarian countries and stressed that mutual trust had become the key to international cooperation today. He affirmed that Taiwan’s investment in the German semiconductor sector had boosted bilateral technological and personnel exchanges, which carried immense significance in terms of strengthening the overall resilience of democratic supply chains.
Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Remus Li-kuo Chen hosted a luncheon for Mr. Kiesewetter on July 22. He sincerely thanked the German Bundestag for recently passing a resolution backing Taiwan and called on the German federal government to focus attention on the importance of cross-strait peace and stability. Moreover, he expressed the hope that Mr. Kiesewetter would exert his influence to expand support for Taiwan in Germany and build further bilateral linkages. Mr. Kiesewetter strongly agreed with him and urged democratic partners to work together to deter China’s military aggression against Taiwan. He said that an increase in bilateral official visits and deeper exchanges across all domains would be welcomed.
This was Mr. Kiesewetter’s second visit to Taiwan and underlined his staunch support for Taiwan. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs looks forward to building on the existing solid foundation with Germany to advance bilateral relations and work with other like-minded partners to safeguard peace, stability, and prosperity across the Indo-Pacific region and the world. (E)