MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the situation in the Strait of Taiwan
12.9.2022 - (2022/2822(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 132(2) of the Rules of Procedure
Hilde Vautmans, Petras Auštrevičius, Malik Azmani, Nicola Beer, Izaskun Bilbao Barandica, Olivier Chastel, Vlad Gheorghe, Bart Groothuis, Klemen Grošelj, Bernard Guetta, Svenja Hahn, Ilhan Kyuchyuk, Nathalie Loiseau, Urmas Paet, Michal Šimečka, Nicolae Ştefănuță, Ramona Strugariu, Dragoş Tudorache, Marie‑Pierre Vedrenne
on behalf of the Renew Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B9-0389/2022
B9‑0394/2022
European Parliament resolution on the situation in the Strait of Taiwan
The European Parliament,
– having regard to its yearly reports on common foreign and security policy, in particular their sections concerning EU-Taiwan relations,
– having regard to the communiqué of the G7 foreign ministers of 3 May 2022, in particular the call to resolve cross-Strait differences by peaceful means and the insistence that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) does not unilaterally change the status quo in the region by force,
– having regard to its resolution of 9 October 2013 on EU-Taiwan trade relations[1],
– having regard to Taiwan’s successful cooperation and participation in European Union Framework Programmes,
– having regard to the Council conclusions of 16 April 2021 on an EU strategy for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.
– having regard to the joint communication of the Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of 16 September 2021 entitled ‘the EU strategy for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific’ (JOIN(2021)0024),
– having regard to its resolution of 16 September 2021 on a new EU-China strategy[2],
– having regard to its recommendation of 21 October 2021 to the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on EU-Taiwan political relations and cooperation[3],
– having regard to its resolution of 7 June 2022 on the EU and the security challenges in the Indo-Pacific[4],
– having regard to its resolution of 5 July 2022 on the Indo-Pacific strategy in the area of trade and investment[5],
– having regard to Rule 132(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas the EU and Taiwan are like-minded partners that share common values of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law;
B. whereas the EU pursues a One China policy and has shown steadfast commitment to maintaining peace and stability as well as international access across the Taiwan Strait;
C. whereas China keeps drifting away from respect for international laws and treaties, human rights and dignity;
D. whereas President Xi Jinping strengthened ties with Vladimir Putin after his invasion of Ukraine and has thus clearly demonstrated his intention to undermine global peace and security and to challenge the established rules-based international system;
E. whereas China’s military is rapidly growing, culminating with the recent launch of its third, most advanced aircraft carrier;
F. whereas China’s aggressive behaviour towards Taiwan is at its worst in decades, as the PRC has significantly increased its military flights across the so-called median line of the Taiwan Strait in the last year, including more than 300 times since Vice-President Nicola Beer visited Taiwan between 19 and 21 July and since U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visited the country on 3 August 2022;
G. whereas on 9 October 2021, President Xi Jinping vowed to pursue ‘reunification’ with Taiwan by supposedly peaceful means, but warned that the biggest obstacle to it was the ‘Taiwan Independence Force’ and rejected fully renouncing the use of force to achieve this goal; whereas this peaceful approach is put in serious doubt by China’s belligerent statements and actions;
H. whereas China’s continued military belligerence and other forms of aggression against Taiwan, such as cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns, pose a grave threat to the status quo between Taiwan and China, and may lead to dangerous, even unintended, escalation with a severe impact on global stability and peace, including in the EU;
I. whereas the reaction of the free world in the face of Chinese provocation is crucial; whereas aligning with all like-minded democracies in drafting contingency plans is of utmost importance;
J. whereas in 2016 the EU committed to using every available means to encourage dialogue, cooperation and confidence-building between both sides of the Taiwan Strait; whereas these aspirations have so far not been fulfilled;
K. whereas Taiwan’s location, its critical role in global high-tech supply chains and its democratic way of life makes it strategically important for European democracies; whereas this region is of great importance to the EU both because of its many close partners there and because one of its Member States, France, has overseas territories in the region; whereas the Taiwan Strait is one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes;
L. whereas the total bilateral trade between the EU and Taiwan amounted to EUR 64 billion in 2021, with Taiwan being the EU’s fifth largest trading partner in Asia and its 15th largest trading partner in the world; whereas there is considerable potential for increasing economic cooperation between Taiwan and the EU;
1. Condemns the PRC’s unprecedented violations of Taiwan’s air defence identification zone since 3 August 2022, when the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) carried out multiple military exercises that encircled Taiwan and involved live fire drills, naval deployments and ballistic missile launches, and during which PLA military aircraft crossed the so-called median line of the Taiwan Strait more than 300 times; insists on the international nature of the Taiwan Straits and on freedom of navigation there;
2. Condemns the PRC’s unacceptable, unjustified and escalatory response to Speaker Pelosi’s visit; declares that it is normal, legal and routine for legislators, diplomats and ministers to travel internationally, including to Taiwan; denounces all threats of reprisals, intimidation and pressure from Chinese authorities in the context of high-level visits to Taiwan; reiterates that the EU institutions and Member States must not and will not bow to any pressure from Chinese channels in this regard; condemns, further, the worrying remarks on Taiwan made by the Chinese ambassador to France, when he stated that the ‘anti-China’ propaganda of the Democratic Progressive Party had indoctrinated the population and that the population must be ‘re-educated’;
3. Expresses the view that the recent military provocations by China cast doubt on China’s long-term intentions of pursuing a peaceful solution, and calls on China to halt its provocations;
4. Expresses grave concern about China’s continued military belligerence against Taiwan and pressure on it, notably through China’s considerable investment in military capabilities, its assault exercises and frequent violations of Taiwan’s air defence identification zone;
5. Recalls that maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific is a core interest for the EU and its Member States; stress that a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait would seriously undermine the rules-based international order, as well as democratic governance with human rights, democracy and rule of law at its core; it would also create significant economic disruptions affecting European interests;
6. Declares that the EU will not accept any unilateral change to the status quo, and that any military aggression by China against Taiwan will have serious consequences for EU-China relations; calls on all EU representatives to echo this position;
7. Calls on the Commission to start developing a contingency plan, regardless of the further development of the situation, for the event that there is further escalation in the Taiwan Strait;
8. Calls on the Commission to work closely with the Member States in intensifying EU-Taiwan political relations and to pursue a comprehensive and enhanced partnership as part of the EU’s One China Policy; considers Taiwan a key partner and democratic ally in the Indo-Pacific, as it is a robust democracy and technologically advanced economy that contributes to maintaining the rules-based international order in the middle of intensifying rivalry between great powers;
9. Urges the EU and the Member States to take a proactive role in working with like-minded international partners to pursue peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, protect freedom of navigation and establish partnerships with the democratic government of Taiwan;
10. Underscores the importance, particularly in the light of China’s continued provocations and military build-up, of further advancing all levels of the EU-Taiwan partnership and cooperation; highlights, in particular, the leading role Parliament can play in identifying areas for further cooperation, as well as clearly identifying and calling out Chinese provocations; welcomes the fact that an official invitation to visit Parliament was extended to Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan during Vice-President Beer’s visit to Taiwan; intends to engage in regular cooperation with its parliamentary colleagues from Taiwan;
11. Encourages increased economic, scientific, cultural and political interaction between the EU and Taiwan, including at the most senior levels, so as to fully reflect the dynamic, multi-faceted and close cooperation between the EU and Taiwan as like-minded partners; Calls for a bilateral investment agreement between EU and Taiwan to be promoted;
12. Urges the Commission to finalise an EU-Taiwan Bilateral Investment Agreement with a strong focus on the high-tech and semiconductor industries;
13. Acknowledges Taiwan’s positive role in the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and supports granting Taiwan an observer’s status in the World Health Organization (WHO); strongly regrets China’s active obstruction of Taiwan’s presence o in international organisations, despite the obvious added value this would have in dealing with global challenges;
14. Salutes Taiwan’s commitment to stand with Ukraine in the face of Russia’s brutal and unjustified aggression;
15. Calls on the Commission to continue adopting initiatives to enhance bilateral economic relations and people-to-people contacts, as well as city-to-city and region-to-region partnerships; commends current city twinning partnerships between European and Taiwanese cities, and encourages city diplomacy as a tool that enables Taiwan to bypass Chinese attempts to further increase Taiwan’s diplomatic isolation; Calls for the institutionalisation of bilateral visits of the Legislative Yuan to Parliament;
16. Acknowledges Taiwan’s central role in strategic industries such as the fifth generation of communication infrastructure (5G), as it is home to the world’s largest semiconductor foundry and the leading producer of semiconductors; encourages cooperation with Taiwan in all industrial sectors, in particular industries of strategic importance such as electronic vehicles, robotics and smart manufacturing, as well as semiconductor technologies; intends to promote more foreign direct investment from Taiwan to the EU in order to strengthen the economic and strategic sovereignty of both sides, thereby reducing the PRC’s capacity to use international semiconductor production as means of blackmail;
17. Considers that lessons can be learnt from Taiwan’s experience of fighting disinformation; encourage the EU and the Member States to deepen cooperation with Taiwan in confronting disinformation from malign third countries, including the sharing of best practices, joint approaches to fostering media freedom, deepening cooperation on cybersecurity, raising citizens’ awareness and improving overall digital literacy among the population in order to strengthen the resilience of our democratic systems;
18. Calls upon the Commission to change the name of the European Economic and Trade Office in Taiwan to ‘European Union Office in Taiwan’ in order to reflect the broad scope of our ties;
19. Welcomes the plans to set up a Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania; condemns the Chinese government’s reaction of imposing economic sanctions on Lithuania; expresses its support for and solidarity with Lithuania in this regard;
20. Commends Taiwan as an outstanding partner in promoting human rights and freedom of religion in the Indo-Pacific region; acknowledges Taiwan’s example in the region through its strong record of respect for fundamental freedoms, both economic and social, as well as political and cultural rights, including progress on LGBTQI people’s rights, and the rights of indigenous communities;
21. Instructs its President to forward this recommendation to the Council, the Commission and the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, as well as the Government of Taiwan.
- [1] OJ C 181, 19.5.2016, p. 52.
- [2] OJ C 117, 11.3.2022, p. 40.
- [3] OJ C 184, 5.5.2022, p. 170.
- [4] Texts adopted, P9_TA(2022)0224.
- [5] Texts adopted, P9_TA(2022)0276.