An official in the European Parliament delegation Thursday said Beijing's aggression has driven Europe closer to Taiwan.
Raphael Glucksmann, the chair of the European Parliament's Special Committee on Foreign Interference, made a case for stronger European support for Taiwan in an interview with French newspaper Liberation, Taiwan News reported.
Glucksmann said that the European mission, which took place from November 3-5 was intended to send a message to the world that all political forces in Europe have acknowledged the importance of engaging with Taiwan.
Glucksmann also said that Beijing's 'aspirations' are not confined to Taiwan but go beyond the island, Taiwan News reported.
"China's aspiration goes beyond Taiwan only, and the failure to take action will only feed its growing ambitions," he argued.
This came after the delegation of the European Parliament visited the democratic island with an aim to study Taiwanese experiences in addressing interference and manipulation campaigns.
The seven members of the Special Committee on Foreign Interference and Disinformation (INGE) met President of Taiwan Tsai Ing-wen, other representatives of the Taiwanese authorities and civil society organisations to discuss Taiwan's innovative system to combat disinformation campaigns and other types of hybrid attacks. This has been the first official visit of the European Parliament to Taiwan, European Parliament said.
Taiwan is a democracy of almost 24 million people located off the southeastern coast of mainland China.
Despite being governed separately for more than seven decades, Beijing claims sovereignty over Taiwan.China has also threatened that "Taiwan's independence" means war.
On June 1, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to complete reunification with self-ruled Taiwan and vowed to smash any attempts at formal independence for the island.
( With inputs from ANI )
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