Former President of the Republic of China, Tsai Ing-wen, has concluded her visit to Europe and returned to Taiwan. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that during her visit to Europe, Tsai first attended the Forum 2000 in the Czech Republic, followed by visits to France and the European Union headquarters. Taiwan and Europe share similar values and have close and friendly partner relations, and will continue to deepen cooperation to safeguard global and regional security and prosperity.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China released a press statement saying that former President Tsai Ing-wen visited Europe from the 13th to the 19th of the month. She was invited to attend the Forum 2000 in the Czech Republic, where Czech President Petr Pavel personally welcomed her at the opening ceremony, emphasizing the significance of her participation.
Following a discussion with President Pavel, Tsai delivered a speech titled “Democratic Unity Overcomes Authoritarian Challenges.” She highlighted Taiwan’s resilience in the face of global crises such as the pandemic, climate change, and authoritarian expansion, and emphasized Taiwan’s cooperation with democratic countries worldwide to defend shared values and contribute positively to the international community. She called on like-minded partners to uphold their belief in democracy and work together to tackle future challenges, receiving a standing ovation from the audience.
During the forum, Tsai met with Czech Senate President Miloš Vystrčil and Chamber of Deputies President Markéta Pekarová Adamová to discuss enhancing the democratic partnership between Taiwan and the Czech Republic.
To honor the shared democratic values between Taiwan and the Czech Republic, Tsai visited the grave of former President Václav Havel, who led the democratization of the Czech Republic, and paid respects to the widow of former Senate President Jaroslav Kubera before attending a luncheon hosted by Vystrčil. Together with Kubera’s widow and Vystrčil, Tsai laid flowers at a commemorative bench to express gratitude for Kubera’s steadfast support for Taiwan.
During her visit to France, Tsai attended a business exchange event hosted by the largest business association in France, the International Business Action Alliance. She highlighted the strong foundation of bilateral economic and trade ties between Taiwan and France based on shared democratic values and identified potential areas for increased collaboration in sectors such as semiconductors, renewable energy, drones, and space. Tsai called for democratic partners to strengthen the resilience of the international supply chain together.
Tsai also accepted an invitation from the Chairman of the France-Taiwan Friendship Group in the French Senate, Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, to visit the Senate and attend a welcome luncheon hosted by the group. Several prominent members of the group, including former Vice President of the Senate and Chairman of the Friendship Group Alain Richard, and former Chairman of the National Assembly and former Chairman of the Friendship Group Eric Bothorel, were in attendance.
Furthermore, Tsai was invited to visit the renowned technological university Paris-Saclay in France, where she met with the university’s president, Camille Galap, and engaged in discussions on higher education cooperation, AI development and applications, and digital innovation, exploring new opportunities for cooperation between Taiwan and France.
Subsequently, Tsai visited Brussels, the location of the European Union headquarters in Belgium. Vice President of the European Parliament Pina Picierno warmly greeted Tsai at the entrance of the European Parliament, and a welcome reception was hosted by Miriam Lexmann, the Secretary-General of the European Parliament, on behalf of the Friendship Group. Over 30 members of the European Parliament, including Deputy Chair of the International Trade Committee Kathleen Van Brempt, former Prime Minister of Poland Beata Szydło, and former Lithuanian Minister of National Defense Rasa Juknevičienė, among others, expressed their greetings.
Picierno praised Tsai for her courage and determination in defending democracy and freedom against pressure from the Chinese Communist Party during her presidency. She called for cooperation among democratic forces to counter authoritarian expansion and counteract the CCP’s distortion of UN General Assembly Resolution 2758. Picierno emphasized that deepening cooperation with Taiwan is a sovereignty right of European countries and should not be subject to deliberate interference or restrictions from external forces.
In her address, Tsai expressed gratitude to the European Parliament for its steadfast support of democratic Taiwan and called for unity among global democratic societies to deter the ongoing provocative actions by the CCP against Taiwan’s airspace and territorial waters. She highlighted these behaviors as attempts by the CCP to alter the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, which threatens regional peace and stability. Tsai urged the European Parliament and national legislatures of EU member states to continue supporting Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations and hoped for further deepening of partnership relations between Europe and Taiwan.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China stated that Taiwan and Europe have a close and friendly partnership based on shared values. Czech President Pavel publicly congratulated the Republic of China on successfully completing democratic elections, making it the first European head of state to do so during a media interview on January 13.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China mentioned that the Taiwan-France relationship has been warming up in recent years. In addition to the “7-Year Military Buildup Act” enacted in 2023, reaffirming France’s commitment to safeguarding freedom of navigation in the Taiwan Strait, France was also the first European country to publicly express opposition to the unilateral alteration of the M503 flight route by the Chinese Communist Party. The EU continues to support peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait through concrete actions, as evidenced by the EU’s inclusion of concerns about the Taiwan Strait situation in the conclusions of the EU Summit on June 30, 2023, demonstrating the consensus among EU member states in supporting peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, opposing unilateral changes to the status quo, and rejecting any threats of the use of force.
Furthermore, the EU is Taiwan’s fifth largest trading partner, with European countries having accumulated investments in Taiwan amounting to USD 71.8 billion, making them the largest source of foreign direct investment for the Republic of China. In recent years, companies like TSMC have expanded their investments in Europe, signaling a deepening relationship between Taiwan and Europe. As a responsible member of the international community, Taiwan will continue to deepen cooperation with like-minded partners in Europe to safeguard global and regional security and prosperity.