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EU could act as ‘moderator’ in Taiwan Strait, top diplomat says
- Josep Borrell ‘seriously concerned’ about flare-up in tensions after US House speaker visited Taipei and says he has no plans to travel to the island
- ‘Everyone defends the rights of Taiwan to develop its political system but tries to avoid a direct confrontation with China,’ he tells forum in Spain
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Finbarr Berminghamin Brussels
The European Union could be a “moderator” in crises in the Taiwan Strait, the bloc’s top diplomat Josep Borrell said on Monday.
“The EU in this scenario is trying to act as a moderator,” Borrell told a forum in Santander, Spain, saying he was “seriously concerned” about the situation that flared up earlier this month when US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan.
Pelosi, second in line to the US presidency, was in Taipei for just 19 hours, but it sparked a furious reaction from the Chinese government that escalated to a series of unprecedented military drills that some speculate could form a template for a future blockade of the island.
Asked if he had plans to visit Taiwan, Borrell said he did not, “and I don’t think the president of the commission [Ursula von der Leyen] will travel to Taiwan either”.
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“This makes the relationship with China especially delicate, and this is why we need to avoid giving [China] a pretext for tensions to grow,” Borrell said.
“Mrs Pelosi has the right to travel wherever she wants, of course, but one thing is your right and the other thing is the right moment.”
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He added that he had seen how “uncomfortable” American authorities had been made by the trip.
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