President Lai Ching-te said Oct. 28 that Taiwan is committed to working with Europe to strengthen the alignment between technology and shared values of freedom and democracy through public-private cooperation, so as to jointly establish a new paradigm for democratic partnerships.
Lai made the remarks while receiving European delegates to the 2025 Formosa Club Annual Conference and Taiwan-Europe Undersea Cables Security and Cooperation Forum at the Presidential Office in Taipei City.
The president began by thanking delegates for longstanding promotion of pro-Taiwan resolutions in the European Parliament and their respective national parliaments, citing EP resolutions and statements in the current term that oppose Chinese distortion of U.N. General Assembly Resolution 2758.
Taiwan has never backed down in the face of authoritarian expansion, Lai said, adding that delegates’ support for Taiwan shows that democracies around the world are standing with the country to tackle challenges.
According to the president, Taiwan and Europe are facing issues arising from undersea cable damage and interference. He cited the Taiwan RISK Management Initiative on International Undersea Cables introduced by Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung in the forum, and pledged to collaborate with European and other partners to enhance the security and resilience of undersea cables and other critical infrastructure.
Rihards Kols, chair of the 2025 conference and member of the EP Committee on Foreign Affairs, presented a joint statement from the conference. It focused on enhancing the club’s partnership with Taiwan and said the club will continue promoting Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations.
Els Van Hoof, head of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives delegation, noted that the Belgian Parliament has adopted a resolution against the distortion of Resolution 2758. Erin McGreehan, member of the Chamber of Representatives of Ireland, called Taiwan an important democratic partner in Asia and said she looks forward to enhancing bilateral cultural, economic and educational ties.
Thorsten Benner, co-founder and director of Berlin-based Global Public Policy Institute, anticipated working on solutions to shared challenges such as aging societies, while Justyna Szczudlik, deputy head of research at the Polish Institute of International Affairs, emphasized the importance of stability in the Taiwan Strait, adding that security is the most important topic for Europe, Asia and Taiwan.
Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)
