China has criticized the European Commission’s stance on Taiwan, calling it “gross interference” in the country’s internal affairs, according to Taiwan News.
European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen faced criticism from China on Friday for standing up for Taiwan.
In his declaration, the German politician described the Indo-Pacific region as a “decisive area”. He also called for “collective efforts to deploy the full range of our joint governance skills to prevent China from unilaterally changing the status quo by military means, in particular on Taiwan”.
Reacting to the EU’s stance, Beijing said von der Leyen’s policy guidelines were a “gross interference” in the country’s internal affairs, Taiwan News reported, citing an article by Euronews.
Wang Lutong, director-general for European affairs at the Chinese Foreign Ministry, further fueled the fire by saying, “Playing with fire on Taiwan is extremely dangerous.”
Wang further said that “intervention” is not the right option for Europe.
“Intervening and even trying to join forces is by no means the right choice for Europe,” Wang was quoted as saying.
Earlier, Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te congratulated von der Leyen for “her firm support for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.” He said he looked forward to building even stronger ties with the EU.
President Lai said, “Congratulations @vonderleyen on your re-election as President of the EU Commission. I greatly appreciate your steadfast support for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. I look forward to fostering stronger #Taiwan-#EU relations based on our shared commitment to human rights and democracy.”
Von der Leyen, of the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), was re-elected on Thursday following a secret ballot, winning the support of 401 members of the European Parliament. She is the 13th president of the EU and its first female leader.
In his manifesto he outlined how Europe will work together with regional actors such as Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Australia to address “common challenges in cyber, space and the secure supply of critical minerals and technologies”.
He further said that Beijing “must be prevented” from upsetting the decades-old status quo in the Taiwan Strait, Taiwan News reported.
It cited an article from Politico that said, “Von der Leyen vows to prevent China from invading Taiwan.” It added that the US believes China intends to attack Taiwan in 2027, which would be the middle of von der Leyen’s new five-year term.
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