TAIPEI -- A delegation from the European Parliament arrived in Taiwan on Wednesday, making its first visit to the island in an official capacity amid growing tensions between Beijing and Taipei.
Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement welcoming the "highly meaningful" visit by the seven-member delegation, which will meet with President Tsai Ing-wen on Thursday.
The three-day trip comes as Taiwan faces mounting cross-strait tensions with China, which considers the island part of its sovereign claim. Taipei and Brussels are growing closer as both sides seek to counter China's growing clout on the world stage.
The delegation, from the parliament's special committee on foreign interference in democratic processes, will discuss disinformation and cyberattacks with senior Taiwanese officials and experts. The itinerary includes a meeting with Premier Su Tseng-chang and digital minister Audrey Tang .
The parliament serves as the European Union's lawmaking body and is directly elected by EU voters.
The delegation is led by Raphael Glucksmann, the European Parliament member from France known for his hard-line views toward China. The European Union in March imposed sanctions on multiple senior Chinese Communist Party officials, alleging abuse against the ethnic Uyghur minority. Beijing immediately retaliated by levying sanctions against the EU. Glucksmann is one of the targets.
China has condemned the visit since it was first reported in the media. The trip "would seriously violate the EU's commitment to the 'one China' policy, damage China's core interest and undermine the healthy development of China-EU relations," a spokesperson for China's mission to the European Union said on Oct. 27. Beijing could further ratchet up its objections.
Europe and Taiwan are developing cozier relations. The EU announced in September its own Indo-Pacific strategy, which includes a pledge to pursue deeper economic ties with Taiwan.
The European Parliament on Oct. 21 overwhelmingly passed a nonbinding resolution that calls for strengthening relations between the EU and Taipei. The visit by the European delegation is expected to accelerate its efforts.
There have been other high profile visits between Taipei and Brussels since October.
In early October, a contingent of French lawmakers visited Taiwan. Later that month, Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu traveled to Europe for the first time since 2019. His tour included Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Brussels, where he met with both European Parliament members and Belgian lawmakers alike.