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European lawmakers arrive in Taiwan ‘to offer support for our friends’
- First official European Parliament delegation to visit the island expected to meet president, premier and other senior officials
- Cybersecurity, disinformation and challenges to democracy on the agenda during three-day trip that has angered Beijing
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A group of European Parliament lawmakers has arrived in Taiwan for a three-day visit to show “support for our friends”, defying warnings of retaliation from Beijing.
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The unprecedented visit by an official delegation comes as the European Union is pushing for closer ties with the self-ruled island, and with Beijing increasingly seen as a security threat in the region.
“We are very happy to come here to offer our support for our friends” in Taiwan, French lawmaker Raphael Glucksmann, who is leading the delegation, said after arriving in Taipei on Wednesday.
Glucksmann, a vocal critic of China, and six other lawmakers in the group made no further comment as they left the airport with Taiwanese officials.
President Tsai Ing-wen had earlier welcomed the delegation in a tweet, saying she looked forward to “constructive discussions with all its members on addressing disinformation & defending democracy”.
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The lawmakers are from the European Parliament’s special committee on foreign interference and were due to meet Premier Su Tseng-chang later on Wednesday and Tsai on Thursday.
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