Taiwan will set up a second representative office in Italy as part of its efforts to deepen cooperation and exchanges with the European country, the Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday.
The new representative office will be situated in Milan, the second largest city by population in Italy, with over 1.3 million people. Taiwan currently has only one representative office in the capital city of Rome.
It will provide services to Taiwanese living in Italy and help promote “the multiplier effect” of economic and trade exchanges between the two countries. The ministry did not specify the timeline for its opening.
Italy does not have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan but maintains economic and trade cooperation with the self-ruled island.
“There is no doubt that Taiwan will be an important concern for Italy,” she told CNA.
Meloni, who was elected as Italy’s first female leader last year, said that her right-wing Brothers of Italy party would stand with democratic countries in condemning Beijing’s military threats towards Taiwan.
She called on the European Union (EU) to use all of its “diplomatic and political means” to exert pressure on Beijing to avoid conflicts in the Taiwan Strait.
French President’s Remarks On Taiwan
Taiwan’s announcement came on the heels of France’s centrist President Emmanuel Macron’s comments that urged Europe to stay out of the conflict between the United States and its allies and China over Taiwan.
Macron made the remarks in an interview with Politico on April 9, just days after completing his three-day visit to Beijing. He said it would be the “worst thing” for Europe “to become followers” on the Taiwan issue and “take [its] cue from the U.S. agenda” focused on defending Taiwan.
“With Beijing ramping up military exercises in the South China Sea and showing continuing support for Russian aggression in Ukraine, this is the worst possible moment to send a signal of indifference over Taiwan,” the IPAC stated.
Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), chair of the House Select Committee on China, criticized Macron’s remarks as “embarrassing” and “disgraceful,” saying they “play right into the CCP’s [Chinese Communist Party’s] strategy to divide America and Europe.”
Beijing staged a three-day military drill around the self-ruled island on April 8 after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen met with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in California.
Chinese aircraft incursions into the region continued despite the fact that the CCP had already proclaimed the conclusion of its military exercise on April 10.
Taiwan’s military said it detected 18 Chinese aircraft and four naval vessels near the island on April 16, with four aircraft spotted entering southwest and southeast of Taiwan’s ADIZ.
The CCP regards Taiwan as a renegade province that must be united with the mainland by all means necessary despite the fact that Taiwan has never been ruled by the CCP and has its own democratic government.
