Taiwan congratulates Ursula von der Leyen on reelection

Taipei, July 19 (CNA) President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) on Friday congratulated European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on being reelected for a second five-year term.

In a post on X, Lai expressed his congratulations to von der Leyen and said he looked forward to "fostering stronger Taiwan-EU ties built on our shared commitment to human rights and democracy."

Lai also thanked von der Leyen for her "steadfast support for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait."

Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) also expressed its congratulations and thanked von der Leyen for showing support for and attaching importance to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait in a press release on Friday.

Von der Leyen, the first female president of the European Commission, was reelected after winning a majority of 401 votes in the 720-seat legislature.

She won 383 votes in the previous election.

Von der Leyen said in the Political Guidelines 2024-2029 that the EU will work with Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Australia to deploy the full range of their combined statecraft "to deter China from unilaterally changing the status quo by military means, particularly over Taiwan."

MOFA said in its release that the European Commission has continuously strengthened its relationship with Taiwan under the leadership of von der Leyen, noting that Taiwan was referred to for the first time as an important partner to the EU in the Indo-Pacific region in the "EU Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific" joint report released in 2021."

The ministry added that as a like-minded partner that shares core values such as democracy, freedom, human rights and the rule of law with the EU, Taiwan will continue to collaborate closely with the bloc.

It added that goals include strengthening economic partnerships, building supply chain resilience in strategic industries like semiconductors, and enhancing cooperation in various fields, including digital technology, green energy and technological culture.