Taiwan, Europe should deepen strategic partnership: Foreign minister

Prague, May 22 (CNA) Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) on Thursday called for Taiwan and Europe to deepen strategic cooperation, saying Taiwan could become a key partner in Europe's reindustrialization and rearmament efforts amid rising geopolitical tensions and rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI).

Speaking at the GLOBSEC Forum in Prague, Lin said Taiwan and Europe should work together to build resilience centered on democracy, rule of law and trusted technology.

The annual forum, organized by European think tank GLOBSEC, is being held in the Czech capital from May 21-23.

In a speech titled "Taiwan and Europe: Building Resilience in a Fragmented World," Lin said the partnership between Taiwan and Europe is built on decades of economic cooperation and shared democratic values.

"Economy is security," Lin said, adding that trade, technology, supply chains and industrial capacity have become critical components of national resilience.

Lin said Taiwan's semiconductor industry and trusted supply chain position has made it a natural partner for Europe in the AI era.

Addressing global security challenges, Lin said Russia's invasion of Ukraine has demonstrated the risks posed by unchecked authoritarian aggression.

He also accused China of promoting an authoritarian model based on "control, dependency and coercion" through military and economic pressure.

In addition, Lin criticized China's non-market practices and industrial overcapacity, saying they had distorted global competition and increased dangerous dependence on single supply sources.

Lin further warned against the "weaponization" of critical mineral exports, saying the issue underscored the importance of supply chain de-risking.

According to Lin, Taiwan's efforts to reduce economic dependence on China have already produced results.

He said that while 84 percent of Taiwan's outbound investment went to China a decade ago, that figure has now dropped to around 3 percent.

"Effective derisking measures have also helped Taiwan's economy to grow even stronger," Lin said, adding that Taiwan's gross domestic product grew by more than 8 percent last year and is projected to grow around 7 percent this year.