Czech Senate President finished his visit to Taiwan the other day. Wu Chih-chung, Diplomatic Representative from Taiwan in France was asked by French Senate yesterday to make a description at a legislative hearing of Taiwan’s experience in bringing the epidemic under control. This is the first time Taipei Representative Office in France has been invited, which does not only signify enhancements of but also subtle changes in Taiwan-EU relations. In comparison to China manipulating and reshaping unfavorable news and opinions of the country and developing its sharp power, yet its Foreign Minister Wang Yi being slapped in the face at every turn in Europe, the implication of the changes in the relations speaks for itself.

2020 is the year the international image of China has vanished into thin air. Early this year, covering up Wuhan pneumonia epidemic gave rise to the global spread of the disease; internally the Hong Kong version of National Security Law keeps crushing Hong Kong’s freedom, autonomy and legal system; in Xinjiang oppression of the Uygur culture and human rights has been escalating; early this month interference with Inner Mongolia by forcing through Chinese education triggered off resistance of Mongolians. What’s more, peripheral countries like those in the South China Sea, India and Taiwan also continually feel the threats from China. The feudal mentality of regarding itself a Celestial Empire has been unmasked.

Meanwhile, the positive image of Taiwan is drawing international community’s attention for its upholding the values of democracy and freedom as well as being an exemplary country succeeding in epidemic prevention, which has become a stepping stone to further interaction with countries in the free world. Though Taiwan is nominally closed off by China, thereby unable to establish bilateral relations with most countries as a sovereign state or take part in formal international organizations, a lot of de facto diplomatic relations have broken through the blockade. The international images and the respective foreign relations of the democratic Taiwan and the authoritarian China have been undergoing changes.

Back to the EU-China and Taiwan-EU relations, the Central and Eastern European countries, and even the traditional democratic countries of EU have been having solid economic, trade and diplomatic relations with China. Take Sino-German relations as an example, it has even developed “joint strengthening of the comprehensive strategic partnership”. Since the EU is a large-scale “supranational organization”, mutual respect, consistency and even tacit agreement can be seen in respective external policies of EU member countries. While the positive image of Taiwan is drawing more and more attention of the EU, the negative image of China due to its bad posture is being enlarged. As such, subtle changes in EU-China and Taiwan-EU relations have been seen.

Though Taiwan has no interest in developing a zero-sum competitive relation with China among EU member countries and sabotaging the partnerships between China and the EU, the EU is free to develop closer collaborations with Taiwan as a de facto independent sovereign state. Only China cannot recognize and accept the enhancement of Taiwan-EU relations. Seeing European countries develop relations with Taiwan, China just makes threats like a rogue. Yet, facts proved that meddling in the relationships between Taiwan and other countries with sharp power only ruined the relationships between China and other countries, and was useless at altering the fact that Taiwan as a democracy virtually contributes to the world, like sharing experience in epidemic prevention and donating epidemic-prevention supplies, etc..

Czech Senate President’s visit to Taiwan and the Diplomatic Representative from Taiwan in France invited by French Senate to a legislative hearing are not serendipitous, and not the last incidences. Under the current global vibes, China’s sharp power and manipulating and reshaping unfavorable news and opinions of the country have been what various countries guard against, as evidenced by a surge of closures of Confucius Institutes. The more China represses Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang…, the more support for the values of democracy and freedom the EU and the U.S. show.

Support for Taiwan from the EU and the U.S. will not only be shown in open commentaries, but also in substantial moves. While Taiwan is currently under pressure posed by unfriendliness from China, support from overseas is coming in one wave after another. In view of this, the internal conflict over “92 Consensus” is ironic and unavailing in the development of democracy of Taiwan. Over internal affairs, different political parties can of course dispute with each other. But confronting threats from outside, we should flex our overwhelming momentum of unity, showing our resolve to safeguard the values of democracy. Help ourselves before getting respect and help from others.

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