AI Brief
- Taiwan's foreign minister warned the EU that reliance on Chinese suppliers threatens the bloc's freedom and sovereignty during a speech in Poland.
- EU leaders will prioritise discussions on China at their upcoming summit, focusing on trade deficits and reducing dependence on Beijing in sensitive sectors.
- Taiwan has increased engagement with Europe amid tensions with China, while Poland maintains no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
TAIWAN'S foreign minister warned the European Union that dependence on Chinese suppliers poses a risk to the bloc's freedom during a speech in Poland on Tuesday (October 13) ahead of a summit in Brussels where trade with Beijing will be high on the agenda.
EU leaders will discuss China as the first point of their summit starting on Thursday (October 15), as Brussels attempts to reduce the bloc's trade deficit and mitigate what many see as the risks of becoming over-dependent on Beijing in sensitive sectors.
"Because China's authoritarian ideology is fundamentally incompatible with Europe's democracy, dependence on China is not merely an economic risk, it's a threat to European freedom and sovereignty itself," Lin Chia-lung said in a speech at the Warsaw Security Forum.
"A Europe controlled through its supply chains would be a Europe that had surrendered part of its liberty."
The Chinese Embassy in Warsaw did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. China routinely denounces visits by Taiwanese officials abroad and refuses to speak to Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, saying he is a “separatist”.
While Taiwan foreign ministers previously only rarely visited Europe, due to Beijing's objections, Lin has gone several times since he assumed his current position more than two years ago, including to Poland.
Taiwan has sought closer ties with Europe, especially since the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Europe has its own disputes with China, over both trade imbalances and also its criticism of what it sees as Chinese support for Russia.
Poland, like most countries, has no formal diplomatic ties with Chinese-claimed Taiwan. The democratically elected government in Taiwan rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims, and says it has a right to engage with the rest of the world on equal footing.
