Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen on Wednesday called for strengthening cooperation and partnership between the island and the European Union as she met with a European Parliament delegation, her office said.
In her talks with the group led by Urmas Paet, vice-chair of the parliament's foreign affairs committee, Tsai expressed hope that the two sides will deepen cooperation in areas such as supply chain resilience, cybersecurity and technological innovation and sign a bilateral investment agreement.
Tsai called on the two sides to "jointly strengthen the unity of the democratic camp," according to the presidential office.
Paet underscored Taiwan's significance as one of the EU's key partners in Asia. He emphasized the crucial role of the self-ruled island's international engagement and expressed disappointment over the World Health Organization's current stance, which overlooks the valuable contributions that Taiwan could provide.
Communist-led China regards Taiwan as a renegade province, intending to unify it with the mainland by force if necessary, and opposes any official contact between the island and other countries. Mainland China and the territory have been governed separately since they split in 1949 due to a civil war.
The European Parliament delegation visited Taiwan after a stop in Japan. On Monday, Paet told senior vice foreign minister Kenji Yamada that attempts to change the status quo in East Asia should not be tolerated, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.
