On Thursday, Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, was re-elected to continue serving as the President of the European Commission for the next five years. She stated that she would seek to “prevent China (CCP) from invading Taiwan.”
The European Parliament has a total of 720 seats. On Thursday, the European Parliament voted on von der Leyen’s re-election, with 401 in favor, 284 against, and 15 abstentions.
Politico’s European edition reported that von der Leyen stated before the vote that as part of her campaign for a second term as President of the European Commission, she would seek to “prevent China (CCP) from invading Taiwan.”
“The Indo-Pacific region has become the decisive region determining the future of the world,” she said in her manifesto entitled “Europe’s Choice.”
In her governing agenda for the next five years, von der Leyen wrote, “We will cooperate with Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, and Australia. We face common challenges in areas such as cybersecurity, space, critical mineral security and technology. This includes our joint efforts to deploy our comprehensive strategy of collective governance to prevent China (CCP) from unilaterally changing the status quo by military means, especially regarding the Taiwan issue.”
At this year’s NATO summit held in Washington DC from July 9-11, four Indo-Pacific countries including Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, and Australia attended. These four countries are listed as NATO’s four Indo-Pacific partners.
This is von der Leyen’s most explicit statement on the Taiwan issue to date.
On March 20 of this year, then-Commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command Admiral John Aquilino stated that the CCP is building its military forces and nuclear arsenal at a scale not seen since World War II, with all indications suggesting that the CCP aims to be prepared to invade Taiwan by 2027.
This timeframe falls within von der Leyen’s new term as the President of the European Commission.
In her manifesto “Europe’s Choice,” von der Leyen also addressed defense spending, stating that from 1999 to 2021, the EU’s total defense spending increased by 20%. During this period, Russia’s defense spending grew by nearly 300%, and the CCP’s defense spending surged by almost 600%.
On May 29, newly appointed Commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, Admiral Samuel Paparo, said in an interview with Nikkei Shimbun in Tokyo that the recent military drills conducted by the CCP around Taiwan were akin to a rehearsal for invading Taiwan. He emphasized the importance of a united front among the US, Japan, and partner countries to enhance deterrence against the CCP.
On July 12, the Japanese Ministry of Defense released the “2024 Defense White Paper,” warning that the increased military exercises by the CCP near Taiwan have heightened tensions across the Taiwan Strait, with these exercises to some extent being preparations for a potential invasion of Taiwan.
Von der Leyen also mentioned in “Europe’s Choice,” “We have entered an era of geostrategic competition.”
She stated that the CCP’s more aggressive posture, unfair economic competition, its “unrestricted” friendship with Russia, and the evolving dynamics of China-EU relations all reflect the shift from cooperation to competition in the China-EU relationship.
“We see all types of policies being weaponized, from energy to immigration and climate,” she said. “Thus, the rule-based international order is eroding, and our global institutions are becoming less effective.”
Von der Leyen cited examples such as the dangers of supply chain dependencies or disruptions, from medical products during the pandemic to Putin’s energy coercion, and the CCP’s monopolization of essential raw materials for batteries or chips.