European Parliament overwhelmingly passes resolution supporting Taiwan, Lai Ching-te expresses gratitude.

In response to the overwhelming vote in favor of a resolution supporting Taiwan by the European Parliament on the 24th, President of the Republic of China (Taiwan), Tsai Ing-wen, expressed deep gratitude. She emphasized the shared values and commitment to peace among nations, which will unite efforts to strengthen the democratic protection umbrella.

The European Parliament convened in Strasbourg for a plenary session where the resolution condemning the People’s Republic of China for distorting the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 and for continuous military provocations against Taiwan was passed with a resounding majority, with 432 votes in favor, 60 against, and 71 abstentions. The resolution strongly opposes China’s manipulation of the UN Resolution 2758 to marginalize Taiwan’s international participation and calls on the European Union and its member states to support Taiwan’s meaningful involvement in relevant international organizations.

President Tsai Ing-wen expressed her sincere appreciation for the European Parliament’s strong endorsement of Taiwan through a post on social media platform X, underscoring the importance of opposing China’s misinterpretation of the UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 aimed at restricting Taiwan’s international presence.

Tsai stated, “Our shared values and commitment to peace enable us to unite and jointly build a stronger democratic protection umbrella.”

Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a press release stating that the resolution passed by the European Parliament underscores that the UN Resolution 2758 addresses the status of the People’s Republic of China without establishing sovereignty over Taiwan. It does not make any decisions regarding Taiwan’s future membership in the United Nations or any other international organizations, as Taiwan has never been part of the People’s Republic of China.

The resolution emphasizes that the UN Resolution 2758 does not take a stance on Taiwan and strongly opposes any distortions of history and international rules by China to hinder Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations. It also strongly condemns China’s ongoing military provocations against Taiwan and gray zone tactics and reiterates the EU’s firm opposition to any unilateral changes to the status quo in the Taiwan Strait.

Moreover, the resolution recognizes Taiwan as a key likeminded partner of the European Union in the Indo-Pacific region, encouraging the EU and its member states to deepen cooperation and exchange with Taiwan in various areas such as economic investment, semiconductor and high-tech industry supply chains, disaster prevention and relief, national defense, countering foreign disinformation and interference, and continue to support Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), and United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

The European Parliament also welcomes closer official and civil interactions and exchanges between Taiwan and the EU, including the recent visit of former President Tsai Ing-wen to the European Parliament.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (Taiwan) stated that this resolution is the third globally, following the passing of a model resolution on UN Resolution 2758 by the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) at its annual meeting in July and the adoption of pro-Taiwan motions by the Australian Senate and the Dutch House of Representatives.

The Ministry urged the international community to take concrete actions against China’s erroneous interpretation of UN Resolution 2758 and to refute the fallacy that the so-called “One China Principle” is a consensus in the international community. Taiwan will continue to deepen substantive cooperation on all fronts with likeminded partners such as the EU to safeguard peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region.