Brussels has secured a place for “Taiwan as a partner” in its political discourse. This dynamic can’t be understood in a vacuum. It is important to situate the relationship in the larger geopolitical picture, particularly considering the implications of China’s support to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. Taiwan has also sought to better position itself vis-à-vis Europe by engaging member states, in particular in Central Eastern Europe, and by engaging the EU as a bloc. Ultimately, however, beyond a Taiwan-friendly European Parliament and a more assertive European Commission, it is the extent to which member states are willing to engage Taiwan and push back against an assertive China that matters most. So far, member states’ political will has been half-hearted only. Questions remain on how to expand cooperation with Taiwan in a way that both increases the EU’s role in shaping Taiwan’s future and empowers Taiwan to exercise agency. Taiwan’s geo-strategic relevance is likely to grow in the Indo-Pacific, a region of great significance to the EU’s own interests. Protecting these will require a more engaged Europe. 

Dr. Zsuzsa Anna FERENCZY is Affiliated Scholar at the Department of Political Science of Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Associated Research Fellow at the Institute for Security & Development Policy (ISDP Stockholm), Head of the Associates Network at 9DASHLINE and Fellow at Agora Strategy, Munich. Based in Taiwan, Zsuzsa is Assistant Professor at the National Dong Hwa University in Hualien. Between 2008 and 2020 Zsuzsa worked as a political advisor in the European Parliament. In May 2019 she published her book, “Europe, China, and the Limits of Normative Power”. Zsuzsa is a regular commentator in international media outlets. She tweets at @zsuzsettte.

Note: This seminar is also held as a regular study meeting of the Japan Association for Taiwan Studies(JATS).