Debate: The situation in the Strait of Taiwan
Date: TUESDAY, 13 SEPTEMBER 2022
Speaker: Josep Borrell Fontelles
Language: EN

We had an exchange on Taiwan last October, almost one year ago, and the least we can say is that, since then, this year, the tension has been increasing across the Taiwan Strait. Certainly, the European border, the Middle East and the Taiwan Strait are the three more challenging places in the world.  You know Beijing’s reaction to the visit of the US House Speaker Ms Pelosi to Taiwan. Well, to tell the truth, it did not come as a surprise. I was in Phnom Penh at the ASEAN meeting when this visit took place. I was in Southeast Asia together with colleagues like Secretary Blinken, the State Councillor and Foreign Minister from China, Mr Wang Yi, also Minister Lavrov was there. So we followed the events lively. And it was certainly an interesting debate about this visit.  But the answer from Beijing, as I said, did not come entirely as a surprise, but I think to be clear, saying that a visit to Taiwan should not provoke military drills or ballistic missile launches, it should not be used as an occasion to intimidate. Certainly, China has been toughening its stance on Taiwan.  We have seen repeated incursions of Chinese planes across the median line in the Strait. Missiles flying over the island, some even landing in Japan’s economic zone. China has also issued a new white paper on Taiwan, which certainly changes certain parameters for an eventual reunification process. And I want to bring your attention, Members of the House, to this white paper. It deserves your attention, believe me.  For us, we continue saying the same thing. To preserve peace, stability and the status quo in the Taiwan Strait is key, not just for the security and prosperity of the region, but also for ours. Let me mention two tangible examples that show how important it is for us.  We are the largest investor in the island. Who has been putting more eggs in the basket of the island? We Europeans. The stock, the cumulated stock of our investments reaches EUR 45 billion and the Taiwan semiconductor production is crucial for the global supply chains. It accounts for almost two thirds of the global semiconductor manufacturing revenues in the world. And, so far as concerns the most advanced chips, the highly sophisticated technological chips, that figure is not  two thirds, it is 90%. It would be interesting to study how the Taiwanese people have been able to develop in a short time such a powerful and technologically developed industry. It has certainly been with our financial support.  And this has naturally led the European Union to value even more our partnership with Taiwan. To broaden our cooperation with Taiwan. To modernise our dialogue with Taiwan. But all of it in the framework of one- China policy, which recognises the People’s Republic as the sole government of China.  Let me be clear on this, one-China policy doesn’t prevent us, the European Union, from persisting and intensifying cooperation in Taiwan, nor from expressing our concerns at the recent rising tensions.  Honourable members, the key message is that the cross-strait differences should be resolved exclusively by peaceful means. That the threat of use of force to change the status quo is not acceptable. That the status quo has to be preserved and is therefore key to manage tensions in a way that it is not an open conflict. It is in no one’s interest to have another major conflict in today’s unstable world. And let’s also be realistic. The tensions in this trade will not go away. Unification with Taiwan is now an integral part of President Xi Jinping’s agenda for national rejuvenation. For them it is a priority. It is part of the so-called core issues. We have to be aware of that. But this will not stop us in our efforts in preserving a stability and a settled world in Taiwan. This is, well, the key message for after the debate, but this is what I wanted to tell you.