Brussels, Belgium – China has filed a formal protest with the European Parliament after Taiwan Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim delivered a landmark address in Brussels, Belgium last week, warning European lawmakers not to send “wrong signals” to what it called “Taiwan independence” forces.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian on Monday, Nov. 10, said Beijing “protested to the European Parliament over ‘Taiwan independence’ politicians attending the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) summit” in the parliament building on Friday.
“The European side noted that the European Parliament’s commitment to the One China policy has not and will not change,” Lin told reporters at a regular press briefing.
“Relevant meetings were not held at the invitation of the European Parliament, relevant individuals were not invited by the parliament and the parliament leadership did not have any contact with them,” he said.
Lin accused Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of using the IPAC forum to “solicit foreign support for their separatist agenda,” describing the alliance as a group “funded by multiple anti-China institutions” and “accustomed to spreading disinformation about China.”
“The political theatrics staged by ‘Taiwan independence’ politicians and IPAC are merely aimed at grabbing attention. Such attempts are doomed to fail,” Lin said.
Hsiao’s appearance in Brussels marked the first time a senior Taiwanese official has spoken in a foreign parliament without formal diplomatic ties with Taipei.
Speaking before an international gathering of lawmakers, Hsiao framed Taiwan as a key democratic partner amid what she called “rising security threats from Beijing.”
“Europe has defended freedom under fire. And Taiwan has defended democracy under pressure,” Hsiao said in her speech Friday. “Cross-strait stability is not only a regional concern. It is a cornerstone of global prosperity.”
In Beijing, Lin reiterated China’s stance that “no matter what gambits the DPP authorities and ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces resort to and whatever ‘outreach’ they try to seek, it will only make their separatist agenda more evident and can never change the inevitability of China’s reunification.”
He urged European lawmakers to “abide by the One China principle, refrain from sending any wrong signal to ‘Taiwan independence’ forces, and avoid being used.”
Lin also issued a pointed warning to Germany, where former Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen was expected to speak in Berlin.
Taiwan’s outreach in Europe, and Beijing’s swift reaction, come amid escalating tensions across the Taiwan Strait and growing calls among Western lawmakers for deeper engagement with Taipei.
