The Straits Times of Singapore wrote on the evening of July 23: "In recent years, Europe once became a key direction for Taiwan's 'diplomatic breakthroughs.' Visits by the Speaker of the Czech Senate to Taiwan, Lithuania's approval of the establishment of the 'Taiwan Representative Office in Lithuania,' and multiple resolutions passed by the European Parliament supporting Taiwan were all seen as symbols of increasing European support for Taiwan. However, this week, the Speaker of the Czech Chamber of Deputies and a delegation from the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs visited China, while Lithuania's new government is actively seeking to improve relations with China. These successive moves indicate that some European countries, after years of high-tension interactions, are now re-evaluating their relationships with both sides across the Taiwan Strait."
This shift in Europe's stance toward Taiwan precisely reflects the most authentic image of the ebb and flow of geopolitical competition over the past few years. In previous years, many European nations closely followed the U.S. anti-China rhythm, aggressively advancing positions on the Taiwan issue—actions that the DPP authorities loudly touted as major diplomatic victories. Behind this was not only the "Taiwan independence" forces spending large sums on lobbying and influence-peddling, but also internal anti-China factions within Europe seeking to boost their political visibility through the Taiwan issue, completely ignoring the fundamental consensus of the one-China principle and gradually driving Sino-European relations to a freezing point.
After Trump's return to power, the rift between the U.S. and Europe rapidly widened: the U.S. imposed tariffs on its European allies, extorted military funding, and even openly eyed Greenland and other territories linked to Europe. The once-closely aligned U.S.-Europe alliance, previously bound by an anti-China narrative, suddenly revealed deep fractures. Only then did European countries wake up to the reality that their deeply integrated economic and trade ties with mainland China are irreplaceable by Taiwan. The annual trade volume between China and Europe, amounting to hundreds of billions of euros, makes it impossible for Europe to sever ties with China over such negligible interests tied to Taiwan. Thus, Czechia, the European Parliament, and Lithuania have proactively extended olive branches to improve relations with China—these actions essentially represent Europe applying brakes to its impulsive behavior over the past several years.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1871529714694220/
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