The European Union and Taiwan are democracies with shared common values of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Our trading relationship should reflect this.
With only 14 percent of the world population living in fully-democratic nations, the EU has to continue to forge alliances with liberal democracies beyond its neighbourhood.
Our delegation visit to Taipei is a testament to that commitment. Not only are we laying down the groundwork for a new trade deal but we are also visiting to express our solidarity with Taiwan against China’s continued military belligerence, airspace violations and disinformation campaigns against Taipei.
We must begin the process of deepening our economic ties before the end of 2021.
Recently, the European Parliament adopted a resolution with overwhelming support across the political spectrum, calling for upgraded EU-Taiwan relations.
Petras Auštrevičius is a Lithuanian liberal politician, diplomat, civil society activist, former member of Seimas, and since 2014, a member of the European Parliament.
To read the full commentary by Petras Auštrevičius on EU Observer, please click here.