The European Parliament announced the adoption of two resolutions that may infuriate Chinese officials.
According to American Greatness, the resolutions stipulate that “neither Taiwan nor the People’s Republic of China are subordinate to the other.”
The resolution further stipulates that “only Taiwan’s democratically elected government can represent the Taiwanese people in international politics.”
The resolutions represent a repudiation of the “One China” policy, which, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, “demands” the world recognize “the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal government of China…with no consideration of Taiwan as a separate sovereign entity.”
Chinese officials argue that “Taiwan has never been a country” and that its national elections are not valid as “there is only one China and Taiwan is a part of it.”
Taiwan has long argued it is an independent state and not part of the People’s Republic of China, despite the strong claims of the Chinese government.
Taiwanese government officials argue the people of Taiwan desire to be governed by a “legitimate” democratic government, implying the structure of the Chinese government is illegitimate.
The Taiwanese government hailed the European Parliament’s adoption of the resolutions and now calls on America and “allies like Australia, Japan, the Philippines, and Thailand” to “follow suit” and “remind Beijing that their bullying against the people of Taiwan has been rejected by the world.”
Leaders in Taipei Representative Office in the EU and Belgium issued the following statement:
“Our sincere appreciation to the European Parliament for adopting two resolutions, stressing that neither Taiwan nor China is subordinate to the other and that only Taiwan’s democratically elected government can represent the Taiwanese people on the international stage.”
Taipei:
Our sincere appreciation to the European Parliament for adopting two resolutions, stressing that neither Taiwan nor China is subordinate to the other and that only Taiwan’s democratically elected government can represent the Taiwanese people on the international stage pic.twitter.com/uEQDXNhgAU— X_test (@Xtest8964) February 29, 2024
The welfare of the South Pacific nation is strategically important for the United States. Taiwan is a principal producer of inexpensive goods, including computer chips. America is reportedly dependent on Taiwanese computer chip production for the foreseeable future.
Taiwan is also strategically located such that it naturally limits the movement of the Chinese navy. An open door for America to have a military presence in Taiwan would be extremely advantageous should war break out in the region.
Further, the independence of Taiwan is important for those who oppose the expansionist designs of communist governments. An alliance of nations committed to support democracies against communist takeover has been a hallmark of western diplomacies for a century.
