Borrell: The navies of European countries should patrol the Taiwan Strait

The High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union (EU), Josep Borrell, stated in his article in the Journal Du Dimanche (JDD), based in France, that the navies of European countries should patrol the Strait of Taiwan.

Assessing EU-China relations and China’s attitude towards Taiwan in the JDD newspaper, EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Borrell said: “Even if China does not directly threaten our security, it poses a multidimensional challenge for Europe”. Borrell stated that China is both a partner and a competitor of the EU.

BOTH PARTNER AND COMPETITOR

“China is a partner because there is an absolute need for cooperation with China given its global nature on many issues such as biodiversity, climate change, the indebtedness of poor countries or epidemics. But this is not without dialogue. We have deep disagreements with Beijing on many issues. In terms of values, China’s view on individual rights and fundamental freedoms is the complete opposite of ours,” she said.

THE POLITICS OF A CHINA AND TAIWAN

Borrell stressed that the EU supports the one-China policy, but this support is not in all circumstances.

“Our stance on Taiwan is simple and consistent. In our opinion, there is only one China. But not in all circumstances. Certainly not through the use of force. Europe should be very active in these economic, commercial and technological issues. That is why I urge European navies to patrol the Taiwan Strait to demonstrate their commitment to freedom of navigation in this critical region. At the same time, we must be on the lookout for provocations. The vast majority of Taiwanese believe that the peaceful status quo is the most appropriate solution. Therefore, let us determine to implement this principle.”