Taiwan's top diplomat calls for Italian naval transit of Taiwan Strait

Taipei, Sept. 5 (CNA) Taiwan's Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) on Thursday expressed hope that Italy would consider sending naval vessels through the Taiwan Strait as part of exercising "freedom of navigation."

According to a news release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Friday, Lin made the comment during a meeting on Thursday with a visiting Italian parliamentary delegation led by Senator Adriano Paroli, co-chair of the Italy-Taiwan parliamentary friendship group.

Lin was cited in the statement as saying that Taiwan "looks forward to Italy sending a vessel through the Taiwan Strait" to help "safeguard freedom of navigation and defend democracy," noting that Rome recently pledged to expand its presence in the Indo-Pacific region.

The top diplomat thanked Italy, a G7 member that held the group's presidency in 2024, for jointly emphasizing the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

G7 countries -- including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, France and Japan -- have in recent years reportedly sent military vessels through the Taiwan Strait to assert freedom of navigation.

Describing Taiwan as an important democratic member of the Indo-Pacific, Paroli said he will continue supporting Taiwan's international participation and promoting bilateral relations in the Italian Parliament, according to the MOFA statement.

Joining Paroli in the delegation that arrived in Taiwan on Thursday were senators Gianpietro Maffoni, Alberto Losacco, Dario Damiani and Cinzia Pellegrino, as well as Andrea Orsini, Luca Squeri and Raffaele Nevi from the Chamber of Deputies.

On Friday, the delegation also met with Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), who called for more exchanges between Taiwan and Italy in the fields of technology, culture, the economy and trade.

According to MOFA, the group is also scheduled to meet with Deputy Legislative Speaker Johnny Chiang (江啓臣), Vice Defense Minister Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) and other Taiwanese officials during their visit.