September 5th, 2002

- having regard to its various resolutions on China, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Japan, North and South Korea, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Mongolia, the ASEAN countries and Australia,

H. having regard to the economic relations with Taiwan as the 13th largest trading partner of the EU, and the strong willingness of Taipei to have closer ties with the EU,

9. Stresses that the fact that countries such as India and Taiwan are excluded from ASEM deprives the forum of the benefits of the contribution that two democratic countries whose economies are among the most dynamic in Asia could make;

10. Urges the Council and Commission therefore to find ways to associate India, other Asian countries and Taiwan in ASEM to help foster economic growth and democracy in the region;

16. Recommends that the political pillar of the ASEM process should include a comprehensive approach on conflict prevention and peace keeping, e.g. supporting political dialogue between North and South Korea, as well as between the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan on the question of Taiwan; and urges the Commission to propose that a dialogue be started within ASEM on security matters with a view to defining conflict prevention mechanisms;

17. Expresses its concern at the arms build-up between China and Taiwan; urges both sides to de-escalate the arms build-up, and in particular for China to withdraw missiles in the coastal provinces across the Taiwan Straits;

24. Welcomes the announcement that new Delegations are to be opened in Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Laos and Nepal, and reiterates its demand for the opening of a trade office in Taiwan in parallel with the other new offices in Asia (as was asked for by the European Parliament in its latest resolution on China) and regrets the fact that the – clearly necessary – opening of a Delegation in Kabul has taken up many of the resources originally provided for; regrets the “relatively modest size of Community assistance to Asia”1; awaits the expected review of the ALA Regulation but, while respecting the need to make certain budgetary choices, urges the joint budgetary authority not to strengthen funding in one region at the expense of other regions;

25. Calls on the Commission to initiate the process of negotiation which will lead to an EU-Taiwan free trade agreement;

37. In view of the ongoing democratisation in a number of Asian countries, recognises in particular the importance of the democratic process in Taiwan and the results of the December 2001 parliamentary elections, and emphasises that a peaceful resolution to the Taiwan question is crucial if political and economic stability in the region are to be maintained; urges the Council and Member States of the EU to honour their commitment to the fundamental rights of freedom to travel and therefore to issue visas to the President and all high-ranking officials of Taiwan for private visits to the European Union;

38. Recognises the need to cooperate closely with Asia in multilateral organisations, for example in combating AIDS/HIV in the region through the WHO, and therefore believes that all democracies in Asia, including Taiwan as an observer, should be able to participate in the WHO; also welcomes the recent accession of China and Taiwan to the WTO;

[...].

Overview EU-Parliament and Taiwan / German / English / Chinese