As anxiety over U.S. President Donald Trump’s commitment to protecting Taiwan from Chinese military aggression lingers in Taipei, the island’s officials are fanning out across Europe to shore up friendships.
Hsiao Bi-khim last week became the first Taiwanese vice president since 2002 to visit a European country Taipei doesn’t have diplomatic ties with, excluding brief transits. The island’s former de facto U.S. envoy — who speaks fluent English — spoke inside the bloc’s parliament in Brussels before an independent alliance of lawmakers who advocate for a harder line on China.
Days later, former Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen delivered a speech in the German capital, warning against the perils of the “authoritarian toolkits” of nations, and drawing parallels between Beijing’s aggression toward her democratically run island and the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.