12 minutes agoBorrell calls on Europeans: Send warships to Taiwan Strait
Periskopi(3 years ago)
(3 years ago)EU member states must deploy warships to patrol Taiwan's Strait in order to prevent Beijing's military aggression, said the bloc's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell. In an article published in the Le Journal du Dimanche on Saturday, Borrell rejected the French president's secession [...]
In an article published in the Le Journal du Dimanche on Saturday, Borrell rejected French President Emmanuel Macro's secession. He argued in French publication that “Europe should actually be very present on this issue [of Taiwan], which worries us economically, commercially and technologically. ”
Borrell continued: “That is why I call on European marines to patrol Taiwan's Strait to imply Europe's commitment to freedom of navigation in this absolutely fundamental area. At the same time, we should be on guard against excessive provocations and offerings”.
The overwhelming majority of Taiwanese people believe the status quo is the most appropriate solution. So let us be determined to ensure respect for this principle,” added Borrell.
Borrell will chair a meeting of 27 EU foreign ministers on Monday, where EU-Kina relations will be the topic.
France, the Netherlands and Germany are widely considered the only EU countries capable of patrolling missions so far from their home as the Western Pacific. Great Britain is another European country with such skills; it placed the then new HMS of Queen Elizabeth in the South China Sea in 2021.
It is rare for European warships to cross transit through Taiwan's Strait, unlike the regular crossing of American military ships.
At the beginning of this month, a French Prialial surveillance frigate passed transit through the strait, according to the Taiwanese government.
However, when Germany's Bayern frigate sailed through Indo-Peacelor in 2021 for the first time in two decades, it escaped Taiwan's Strait.
