MEP touts undersea cable drone cooperation with Taiwan

Taipei, Oct. 28 (CNA) A visiting European lawmaker on Tuesday said the European Union (EU) and its "trusted partner" Taiwan could cooperate in making use of drone technologies to monitor undersea cables.

Rihards Kols, a Latvian member of the European Parliament, made the suggestion at a Taipei press event hours after Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) announced that Taiwan was launching an initiative to promote global cooperation on improved security of undersea cables.

Lin announced the project at a seminar titled "Taiwan-Europe Subsea Cable Security Cooperation Forum," which was cohosted by his ministry and the Formosa Club in Europe, where Kols is a member.

According to Lin, the project will be known as "RISK," an acronym for risk mitigation, information sharing, systemic reform, and knowledge building.

Asked to comment on how Taiwan and Europe could work closer in terms of enhancing undersea cables security, Kols told reporters Tuesday that the RISK initiative is to become a "natural base for cooperation, be it the research innovation, be it the exchange of best practices."

The Formosa Club is also visiting Taiwan to explore how the EU and Taiwan can cooperate in dual-use technology, including the use of drones, to keep undersea cables more secure.

"I think [regarding the] undersea cables [cooperation], we can actually talk about autonomous technologies as well as monitor and detect," he said.

He also noted the "Readiness 2030" strategic defense initiative proposed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in March 2025, aimed at enhancing the EU's military capabilities.

The initiative is also inviting "trusted partners" to engage with the defense industry in Europe to build core projects and research, the lawmaker said.

"And I think this is a place where Taiwan really can step forward," Kols said.

Despite its relatively small size, Taiwan is the 13th trading partner for the EU, he said, adding that, "and above all, it's a trusted partner that we can rely upon."

Kols serves as the chair of the Formosa Club's 2025 annual conference, which is being held from Monday through Tuesday in Taipei.

Taiwan's Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) also joined Kols in Tuesday's press event to express gratitude toward the club's support for Taiwan.

The vice president thanked the club for the latter's consistent advocacy "for Taiwan's meaningful participation in international organizations, expressed concerns over China's growing aggression, and worked tirelessly to strengthen relations between Taiwan and its member countries."

"The presence of Formosa Club members here today sends a clear message. Taiwan is not alone in this mission," Hsiao added.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), the Formosa Club was established in October 2019, initiated by chairpersons of the Taiwan friendship groups from the European Parliament and national parliaments of the United Kingdom, Germany, and France.

A total of 41 parliamentarians from the European Parliament and 17 European national parliaments are visiting Taiwan for the annual conference, MOFA said.