President Tsai Ing-wen said Oct. 18 that Taiwan is committed to deepening partnership with Belgium to foster regular cooperation and enhance mutual development.
Tsai made the remarks while meeting with a cross-party parliamentary delegation led by Els Van Hoof, chair of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives’ Foreign Affairs Committee and co-chairs of both the Belgium-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group and the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, at the Presidential Office in Taipei City.
Taiwan has seen a chorus of support from Belgium in recent years, Tsai said, citing resolutions passed by the EU member state’s federal and district parliaments over the past three years backing Taiwan’s international participation and urging its government to deepen bilateral ties.
Tsai also took the opportunity to thank the Belgian government for supporting Taiwan’s bid to join the World Health Assembly for three consecutive years, and for its Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hadja Lahbib’s recent advocacy on maintaining the cross-strait status quo.
Taiwan and Belgium have close cooperation in areas spanning offshore wind power infrastructure and the semiconductor industry, Tsai said, adding that she anticipated that the two sides will also expand collaboration into cyber security.
In response, Hoof said Taiwan and Belgium share universal values of democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of law. Such strong two-way ties are evidenced in bilateral business cooperation worth over US$3 billion last year and mutual projects at around 100 academic institutions, she added.
According to Hoof, parliamentary members are concerned about China’s increasing intrusions into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone and its incursions over the Taiwan Strait median line, and their visit is intended to show solidarity with Taiwan, emphasizing that it does not face such threats alone. As a top global semiconductor manufacturer, Taiwan plays a key role in securing global supply chains, Hoof said, adding that Belgium will continue to work with the country to safeguard peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. (YCH-E)
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