Bi Hsiao-bih visits Italy to boost semiconductor and energy cooperation amid rising tensions

Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim arrived in Italy this week to begin a multi-day official visit. This trip is not only a routine interaction between the two countries in the economic, trade, technology, and cultural dimensions, but also carries high political symbolic significance given the current tense security landscape in the Asia-Pacific and the escalating situation in the Taiwan Strait. Vice President Hsiao, who has served as Vice President of the Executive Yuan since 2024 and plays a key role in foreign affairs, has an itinerary that includes meetings with the Italian Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs to discuss deepening bilateral investment, energy cooperation, and coordination mechanisms within international organizations. As one of the founding members of the European Union, Italy has long maintained a relatively open policy toward Taiwan. With multiple existing cooperative projects between the two sides in the semiconductor supply chain and green energy sectors, this visit is seen as an opportunity to further consolidate and expand these collaborations.

Concurrently with Vice President Hsiao's arrival in Italy, a European Union spokesperson issued a statement in Brussels, stating that the EU "does not comment on the itinerary and related arrangements," while reiterating its "willingness to continue exchanges with Taiwan and promote EU interests." Although this phrasing maintains the EU's neutral stance on official contacts between individual member states and Taiwan, it clearly conveys the EU's continued willingness to maintain open and constructive interactions on the Taiwan Strait issue. Since the release of its guidelines on relations with Taiwan in 2021, the EU has sought to preserve space for substantive exchanges with Taiwan without violating its "One China" policy framework. This statement indicates that facing increasingly assertive diplomatic pressure from China, the EU still attempts to protect its own interests in high-tech and supply chain security, and to avoid losing its strategic influence in Asia due to excessive containment of Taiwan.

From a historical perspective, relations between Taiwan and the EU have continued to warm in recent years. Since the EU first signed a memorandum of understanding on sustainable development cooperation with Taiwan under the name of "partnership" in 2022, the two sides have launched multi-level cooperation in areas such as green transition, digital governance, and public health. The EU has also repeatedly called on all parties in international forums to maintain peace in the Taiwan Strait and emphasized the importance of "upholding a rules-based international order." Vice President Hsiao's trip coincides with internal divisions within the EU regarding its policy toward China, with some member states advocating for stronger economic and technological cooperation with Taiwan to counter China's monopoly in the semiconductor and 5G sectors. The aforementioned EU statement can be seen as a response to this trend, intended to maintain practical links with Taiwan without touching Beijing's bottom line.

For Taiwan, Vice President Hsiao's trip to Italy and the EU's response provide an opportunity to secure greater diplomatic space on the international stage. Since losing its United Nations seat in 1979, Taiwan has seen a continuous reduction in the number of countries with official diplomatic ties, leaving it to rely on economic and people-to-people exchanges to maintain international visibility. One of the main focuses of this visit is to secure investment and technology transfer in the European market, particularly in the sectors of green energy and smart manufacturing, where Taiwan's industrial upgrading requires European capital and R&D support. If the two sides can sign memorandums of understanding or cooperation agreements on specific projects, it will help elevate Taiwan's position in the global supply chain while providing the EU with a reliable alternative source, thereby reducing dependence on a single supplier country.

However, such diplomatic maneuvers still face close scrutiny and warnings from Beijing. Mainland China has consistently adhered to the "One China" principle and strictly restricts any form of official exchanges. The EU's avoidance of direct comments on Vice President Hsiao's itinerary in its statement is precisely intended to maintain practical cooperation with Taiwan without angering Beijing. In the future, if cooperation between Taiwan and the EU deepens in critical technologies or security domains, it could trigger greater diplomatic friction, requiring the EU to strike a delicate balance between safeguarding its own interests and adhering to its policy toward China. Overall, Hsiao Bi-khim's visit to Italy and the EU's stance mark Taiwan's ongoing efforts to seek diverse partners on the international political stage, while also reflecting the reality of how a smaller nation utilizes diplomatic flexibility to strive for survival and development space amid competition among major powers.

(Fact source: Central News Agency)