Premier Su Tseng-chang received European Parliament Vice-President Nicola Beer and her delegation Tuesday at the Executive Yuan. The premier thanked the Parliament for passing 20 Taiwan-friendly reports and resolutions since 2021 that have supported Taiwan's meaningful participation in international organizations and called on the European Union to further strengthen mutual cooperation with Taiwan.
The premier pointed out that although Taiwan and the EU are geographically distant, it can be said that there is no distance at all between our philosophies, because both uphold universal values of democracy, freedom and human rights. In addition, the EU is Taiwan's fifth largest trading partner, and Taiwan is the EU's fifth largest trading partner in Asia. Both sides share close ties and provide assistance to each other in times of need. For example, when the COVID-19 pandemic worsened in Taiwan last year, several European nations stepped up to donate vaccines to Taiwan.
Taiwan is fully united, the premier said, not only in successfully fighting the pandemic and protecting the health of its 23 million people, but also in developing its flourishing economy and society. The government is also committed to upholding the nation's sovereignty so that Taiwan's democracy can continue to function normally. The premier hopes Taiwan can share its successes with the EU and the rest of the world, as well as further deepen trade and other interactions with the 27 member states of the EU.
In her remarks, Vice-President Beer said that Taiwan and the EU are "a family of democracies," and that the European Parliament and the EU truly welcome and support deeper cooperation with Taiwan. In particular, the EU can learn from Taiwan's experiences in successfully managing the pandemic. The European Parliament will thus continue working together with Taiwan to strengthen the possibilities for Taiwan to act on the international level and in international institutions.
We are living in challenging times, Vice-President Beer said, and must fight climate change as well as new threats around the globe. As democracies, we have to face authoritarian regimes which do not respect the international rule of law and neglect nationhood and sovereignty. The vice-president said she learned during this visit that the Taiwanese people have really embraced democracy, rule of law and freedom, and are willing to stand up for these values. Moving forward, the EU will continue to strengthen bilateral exchange to foster greater mutual understanding and build a stabilizing base for international cooperation.