President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) received a delegation of European Green Party lawmakers led by Reinhard Bütikofer at the Presidential Office on Monday.
In her welcome remarks, Tsai stated how ties between Taiwan and Europe have grown closer in recent years. She mentioned the passing of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) by the European Parliament last February. Tsai expressed her gratitude to both the European Parliament and the delegation for showing recognition and support for Taiwan.
Tsai said she looks forward to greater cooperation between Taiwan and the EU in the future, especially in combating disinformation, ensuring supply chain security, and promoting economic and trade exchanges.
In response to Tsai’s remarks, Bütikofer said the purpose of the visit is to not only express their firm support for Taiwan’s democracy and to also better understand Taiwanese society. He added that they hope to strengthen substantive cooperation with Taiwan and that this will not be limited to the economic level.
Bütikofer also recognized Tsai’s leadership during her presidency, which has helped Taiwan win many new friends in Europe. He pointed out that while there are differences on many issues within the European Parliament, its members uniformly support Taiwan.