China is trying to distort history and international law in Taiwan, MEPs warn

Support the status quo in the Taiwan Strait

UN resolution 2758 does not take a position on Taiwan

China’s coercive measures to achieve unification contradict international law

Parliament condemns China's continued military provocations against Taiwan and firmly rejects any unilateral change to the status-quo in the Taiwan Strait.

These attempts, particularly by means of force or coercion, will not be accepted and will incur a decisive and firm reaction, warn MEPs. In a resolution adopted by 432 votes in favour, 60 against and 71 abstentions on Thursday, they condemn China’s unwarranted military exercises of 14 October and continued military provocations against Taiwan, stressing that the military build-up changes the power balance in the Indo-Pacific.

Misinterpretation of the UN position

Parliament strongly rejects China’s attempts to distort history and international rules and underlines that UN resolution 2758 does not take a position on Taiwan. It opposes China’s constant efforts to block Taiwan’s participation in multilateral organisations and calls on the EU and its member states to support Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organisations such as the World Health Organization, the International Civil Aviation Organization, the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. MEPs also urge the UN to grant Taiwanese nationals and journalists the right to access its premises.

Commitment to ‘One China’ policy

The EU remains committed to its ‘One China’ policy as the political foundation of EU-China relations, supporting initiatives that foster dialogue and confidence-building, stresses the text.MEPs strongly condemn statements by the Chinese President that the People’s Republic of China will never renounce the right to use force with respect to Taiwan, insisting that using coercive measures to achieve unification contradicts international law. They highlight that only Taiwan’s democratically elected government can represent the Taiwanese people internationally and express their concern over China’s use of hostile disinformation to undermine trust in Taiwan’s democracy and governance.

Concerns about China’s increasing military investments and capabilities

China’s increasingly aggressive behaviour, in particular in its own neighbourhood, such as the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, poses a risk to regional and global security, say MEPs. The EU and its member states should step up their own maritime capacities in the region. Parliament also voices concerns about China and Russia’s renewed commitment to further strengthen their military ties, condemning the Chinese supply of equipment to Moscow.