Taiwanese Vice President Calls for International Support in Rare EU Address

Taiwanese Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim, during a rare meeting with lawmakers at the European Parliament, called for deeper trade and security ties with Taiwan amid the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Hsiao said at the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China summit, held at the European Parliament in Brussels on Nov. 7, that Taiwan plans to raise its defense spending, aiming for 5 percent of gross domestic product by 2030, in the face of China’s “intensifying military and security pressure” against the democratic island nation.