Brussels, June 18 (CNA) Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said in a video played at the European Parliament (EP) on Tuesday that Taiwan must deepen its ties with like-minded partners in the face of Chinese pressure and warned that if Taiwan can't defend democracy, it would be a tragedy for the development of democracy in the world.
Wu's video message was delivered during a banquet hosted by Taiwan's representative to the EU and Belgium Harry Tseng (曾厚仁) and Werner Langen, chairman of the European Parliament-Taiwan Friendship Group, to honor the group's members.
Wu said Taiwan and the European Union are partners who share core values such as freedom, democracy and human rights. These shared values are "why Taiwan is able to work together with the EU and why our relationship is getting closer and stronger," he said.
"Faced with pressure from China, Taiwan is sparing no effort in consolidating relationships with allies and people with substantive relationships with my country, such as European countries, the U.S. and Japan," he said.
"If Taiwan can't defend its hard-won democracy, it would be a tremendous tragedy not only for Taiwan but also for the development of democracy worldwide," Wu said, noting that the EU is a crucial source of support for Taiwan in the fight to consolidate democracy, he said.
He also expressed gratitude to members of the European Parliament for their support for Taiwan over the years and voiced hope for further cooperation to advance the EU-Taiwan relationship.
(By Tang Pei-chun and Evelyn Kao)
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