Relations between the European Union and Taiwan have taken a surprising turn over the past year, with European officials embracing diplomatic cooperation with the self-governed island even as Beijing ramps up its coercive attempts to isolate Taipei. As the EU finds common ground with Taiwan in the field of cybersecurity and resilience, experts say China's tactics have inadvertently pushed the bloc closer to Taipei.
On paper, Taiwan's formal diplomatic allies appear to be dwindling, with Nicaragua the latest country to switch allegiance to Beijing. Yet in the past year, the island has successfully built up support among democracies worldwide, particularly in deepening diplomatic engagement with Europe - marking an unprecedented shift in EU-Taiwan relations.
This rapid warming of ties can be chalked up to an increasingly belligerent Beijing, whose aggressive influence campaigns have pushed European lawmakers to reconsider Taiwan as a strategic partner in cybersecurity and resilience - much to China's anger.
China's 'Machiavellian' offensive backfires (in Taiwan's favour)
Though EU-China relations have long been complex, with a 2019 EU policy paper describing China as "simultaneously a cooperation partner, economic competitor, and systemic rival", the last two years of the pandemic have seen European views towards China take a turn for the worse.
President Xi Jinping's increasingly aggressive policy at home and abroad has provoked greater wariness and even outrage in the EU, which has become increasingly aware of the threats from China, particularly in the form of disinformation and influence campaigns.
As the pandemic gathered pace in June 2020, ..
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