TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) stressed the importance of Taiwan’s partnership with Europe on Thursday during a meeting with a visiting delegation of European lawmakers.
Hsiao said that on her trip to Brussels in November, she felt close bonds formed across cultures and continents centered on shared goals, according to the Presidential Office. During her visit, she delivered an address at the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China summit, calling for cooperation among democracies.
The vice president told the delegation that it is a pivotal moment for Europe and Indo-Pacific nations to deepen exchanges on issues of shared concern. Global geopolitics is changing rapidly and is highly turbulent, she said.
Hsiao said Taiwan is continuing to strengthen its democracy and defense capabilities. Taiwan understands what it feels like to lose freedom, she said, adding that this is why it must work even harder to safeguard the hard-won political rights of its people.
The nine-member delegation comprises lawmakers from northern and central Europe. The group arrived on Sunday to hold talks with Cabinet members on building democratic civil societies and establishing resilient supply chains with like-minded countries.
