TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) met with the new EU Representative to Taiwan, Lutz Guellner, to discuss bilateral ties on Tuesday (Oct. 1).

Lin said in a Facebook post that he hoped Guellner would continue bolstering exchanges and cooperation between Taiwan and the EU across various sectors. “With TSMC establishing a factory in Dresden, Germany, Taiwan's semiconductor industry supply chain will also expand its investments into Europe,” he said. 

The foreign minister told Guellner that Taiwan seeks to sign an economic partnership agreement with the EU similar to its enhanced trade partnership with the U.K. This would safeguard Taiwanese business investment interests, Lin said.

Lin also said Taiwan was intent on strengthening ties with European countries in the "Five Trusted Industries" (chips, AI, military, security, and surveillance) proposed by President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) and in areas such as smart cities, cybersecurity, and machine tools.

Guellner said he was honored to meet Lin and added that the EU will continue close relations and cooperation with Taiwan “based on our shared values of democracy, human rights, and rule of law.”

The diplomat assumed his role on Sept. 1, replacing Filip Grzegorzewski, who left after serving for five years. Guellner previously worked in the European External Action Service. 

Taiwan and the EU are close partners in technology, health, and energy cooperation and have robust economic ties. In 2023, Taiwan became the EU's 13th largest trading partner, while the EU is Taiwan's largest foreign investor.

In March, an EU parliamentary delegation led by lawmaker Reinhard Butikofer visited Taiwan, where they reiterated the European Parliament’s support for the country and continued bilateral cooperation. 

The EU on many occasions has underscored the importance of a peaceful resolution to cross-strait issues and opposed unilateral changes to the regional status quo.