Foreign Minister Lin visits European Parliament, Lithuania, Poland to promote integrated diplomacy and strengthen Taiwan-Europe ties
November 25, 2024
No. 432
From November 16 to 25, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung visited the European Parliament and traveled to Lithuania and Poland. He met with prominent lawmakers from friendship groups of the EP and national parliaments, including Michael Gahler, the German chair of the EP-Taiwan Friendship Group; Ruslanas Baranovas, the new chair of the Lithuania-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group; and Krzysztof Truskolaski, the chair of the Polish-Taiwanese Parliamentarian Group. The fruitful trip served to deepen cooperation between Taiwan and its democratic partners in Europe.
While in Belgium, Minister Lin visited the Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (IMEC) in Leuven and met with its President and CEO Luc Van den hove to discuss strengthening the resilience of advanced semiconductor supply chains between Taiwan and Europe.
In Lithuania, Minister Lin led a delegation from the Taiwan Excellence Drone International Business Opportunities Alliance (TEDIBOA) to the Drone Industry Business Forum, jointly organized by Taiwan and Lithuania on November 21. He and Lithuanian Vice Minister of National Defense Monika Koroliovienė delivered opening remarks at the event, which was attended by over 200 participants and around 60 drone companies from Taiwan, Lithuania, and other European countries. Industry representatives from Taiwan and Lithuania signed a memorandum of understanding, underlining their commitment to jointly establishing democratic drone supply chains. Minister Lin also met with 21 Taiwan-friendly members of the Seimas from the governing and opposition parties, including Dovilė Šakalienė, Giedrimas Jeglinskas, and Tomas Tomilinas. He laid flowers at the January 13 Memorial at the Seimas and witnessed the transfer of the chairmanship of the Lithuania-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group from Matas Maldeikis to Ruslanas Baranovas. The handover was a meaningful demonstration of the continuing desire of the two like-minded nations to promote parliamentary exchanges.
When visiting Poland, Minister Lin attended the Polish-Taiwanese Economic Cooperation Forum on November 22. The event was organized by a group of companies led by Taiwan’s International Economic Cooperation Association (CIECA) from sectors including ICT, semiconductors, smart urban transport, and drones. The following day, Minister Lin witnessed the signing of an MOU between the Taiwan-Poland Chamber of Commerce and the Polish-Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the city of Łódź. The two chambers will coordinate with the CIECA and the Polish Chamber of Commerce to develop economic and trade opportunities between Taiwan and Poland, thus promoting economic and trade diplomacy.
In a demonstration of Taiwan’s values-based diplomacy, on the same day in Warsaw, Minister Lin witnessed the donation of 580 electric generators for cities in Ukraine and 2,600 Taiwanese laptops to help Ukrainian students bridge the digital divide. The two donations, worth US$10 million, will be facilitated through the Association of Ukrainian Cities. Minister Lin also witnessed the signing of a letter of intent between Taiwan’s Chunghwa Telecom and the Ukrainian city of Bucha. The parties will cooperate to develop Bucha into Ukraine’s first 5G smart city. The initiatives further demonstrated that Taiwan is aligning with the democratic community to provide much-needed humanitarian resources to Ukraine and assist it with reconstruction.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to promote integrated diplomacy and work with Europe and other like-minded partners to enhance democratic resilience and establish strong and mutually beneficial values-based alliances. Through joint public-private initiatives to promote economic and trade diplomacy, MOFA will further enhance Taiwan-Europe economic and trade links and consolidate Taiwan’s pivotal position in global supply chains. Building on the robust ties between Taiwan and Europe, both sides will continue to deepen cooperation, bolster the economic security of democratic partners, and advance economic coprosperity. (E)
