Strengthening economic cooperation while defending the status quo : the deepening of relations between Europe and Taiwan

Abstract

There is a growing awareness in Europe of the importance of Taiwan and the island is no longer invisible in the current political debate. As a result, relations between the European Union and Taiwan are deepening in an unprecedented way, at the same time all allowing the EU to maintain their One-China policy. In four areas, Europeans could and should do more to acknowledge the growing relevance of Taiwan: strengthen economic and technical cooperation; confront China's economic coercion of member states; acknowledge the role played by parliamentary activities and diplomacy; and keep in mind the importance of ensuring stability in the Taiwan Strait.