Taiwan's Foreign Ministry has welcomed a report approved by the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee that calls for deeper links with the self-governed island state, including a possible bilateral investment agreement.
The Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament (AFET) approved the first draft report on EU-Taiwan Political Relations and Cooperation on Thursday with 60 votes in favour, four against and six abstentions.
Next, the committee will submit the report for review by the full European Parliament in a plenary session, the committee said in a statement.
Besides calling for "essential cooperation" in areas from public health to semiconductors, the document expressed "grave concern" over what it described as China's "military belligerence" towards Taiwan.
The European Parliament does not have any foreign policy powers. But the report urged the EU to do more to "protect Taiwan's democracy and the island's status as an important EU partner."
Committee member Charles Weimer said the report signals that the EU "is ready to upgrade its relations" and added that AFET should begin preparatory work toward talks on a "bilateral investment agreement" with Taiwan before the end of the year.
Taiwan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Joanna Ou told dpa that the draft report marked "a new milestone in Taiwan - EU friendship."
However, a spokesperson for the Chinese mission to the EU expressed "strong opposition" in a statement, saying the moves called for in the document "constitute serious violations of the one-China principle," under which Beijing claims sovereignty over Taiwan.
The mission urged the committee and members of the European Parliament to "appreciate the sensitivity of the Taiwan issue, immediately correct their wrong words and actions, and play a positive and constructive role in upholding the political foundation of China-EU relations."
