Beijing expressed dissatisfaction with Ursula von der Leyen’s political guidelines, which emphasize maintaining the status quo in the Taiwan Strait. The re-election of von der Leyen as European Commission president has sparked international tensions, with China denouncing what they see as interference in their internal affairs. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized von der Leyen’s commitment to working with Japan, Korea, New Zealand, and Australia to deter China from unilaterally changing the status quo over Taiwan.
China views Taiwan as a breakaway province that needs to be reunified with the mainland, while Taiwan sees itself as a de facto independent nation. The EU does not officially recognize Taiwan but maintains lower-level relations on various topics, including semiconductors, where Taiwan holds a competitive edge. These ties have strengthened in response to deteriorating EU-China relations and are expected to expand during von der Leyen’s next term.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs congratulated von der Leyen on her re-election and expressed a desire to collaborate further in safeguarding international order and promoting mutual cooperation. Taiwan’s new president, William Lai, has offered to resume bilateral contacts but maintains that Taiwan and China will never be subordinate to each other. The EU’s stance on Taiwan remains delicate, with tensions between Beijing and Taipei increasing, especially in light of recent political developments.
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