EU defends plan to expand Taiwan relations ‘without recognition of statehood’
- Statement by EU top diplomat Josep Borrell comes in first official ‘strategic dialogue’ with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi since June 2020
- Video conference comes as EU-China relations are strained on a number of fronts
The European Union defended plans to expand its relationship with Taiwan – though “without any recognition of statehood” – on Tuesday during the first top-level meeting between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and the EU‘s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, in more than a year.
The statement by Borrell came amid a deepening row between Lithuania and China, over Lithuania’s decision to allow a “Taiwanese Representative Office” in Vilnius – a departure from the typical European designation of “Taipei Representative Offices”.
At a strained time for bilateral relations, Wang spoke by video conference with Borrell in their first “strategic dialogue” since June 2020.
Neither side mentioned Lithuania directly in their statements about the session, but the subtext was clear.
Beijing has accused Lithuania of breaching the EU‘s adherence to the diplomatic “One China” principle – a claim denied by both Brussels and Vilnius – and moved to punish Lithuania by halting freight trains from China and revoking certain export licenses for Lithuanian companies.
