President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文, right)/Photo courtesy of the Presidential Office

Taipei, Sept. 18 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) called Tuesday for support from the international community and urged like-minded allies in Europe to team up with Taiwan in its pursuit of democracy and freedom amid growing pressure from China.

China is unilaterally altering the status quo and undermining cross-Taiwan Strait relations through intensified suppression of Taiwan, efforts that only deepen the country's resilience and determination to defend its interests and democratic values, Tsai said.

She made the remarks during a meeting at the Presidential Office with a visiting European Parliament (EP) delegation led by Ivo Vajgl of Slovenia.

She thanked the members for their long-term support of Taiwan, saying that the government was especially grateful when the EP passed a report last week that called for an end to China's military provocation of the nation.

As a member of the international democratic community, the president said, Taiwan is willing to continue contributing to the maintenance of regional security and stability, and working closely with like-minded countries to fulfill its international responsibilities.

Taiwan looks forward to positive interaction with members of the European Union, especially those that have shared interests in the values of freedom, democracy and human rights, she said.

The visiting EP delegation included Jozo Radoš of Croatia, Urmas Paet of Estonia and Tomáš Zdechovský of the Czech Republic.

(By Lu Hsin-hui and Ko Lin)
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