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Exclusive | EU shelves Taiwan trade upgrade amid high-wire balancing act on China

  • Announcement of new strategic format for liaising with Taiwan on trade and economic issues is postponed, although it is likely to be revisited
  • Some EU lawmakers want Taiwan issue to be higher on the bloc’s agenda, but there is concern that ties with Beijing could plunge further

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Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen (centre) meets EU parliamentarians in Taipei this month. Photo: AP
The European Union has postponed a confidential plan to upgrade its trade ties with Taiwan, in a sign of internal uncertainty over how best to balance ties with Taipei and Beijing.
On Friday, Brussels was preparing to announce a new strategic format for liaising with Taiwan on trade and economic issues, involving more regular meetings, collaboration on specific sectors such as semiconductors, and more visits by senior officials, according to multiple sources briefed on the plans but not authorised to discuss them publicly.

It would have marked an expansion of the annual consultations between Brussels and Taipei, the 32nd of which took place last December at deputy ministerial level.

But the announcement, being handled by the trade commission, was postponed at the eleventh hour. It is likely to be revisited at a later date, perhaps in conjunction with the European Parliament, which has been pushing for stronger ties with Taiwan, according to a source in the parliament.

It comes as the EU tries to perform a high-wire balancing act, attempting to re-engage with Beijing following a sharp deterioration in ties over the first six months of the year, while at the same time enhancing its relationship with self-ruled Taiwan – which Beijing views as a breakaway province.

It is widely thought that some senior EU figures are concerned that pursuing the latter objective could jeopardise the former.

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