By Sarah Wu

TAIPEI, (Reuters) – The European Parliament’s official first delegation to Taiwan stated on Thursday that Taiwan is not isolated diplomatically and called for more bold actions to improve EU-Taiwan ties in the face of increasing pressure from Beijing.

Taiwan has no diplomatic relations whatsoever with the European Union, except for the tiny Vatican City.

The visit comes at a time when China has ramped up military pressure, including repeated missions by Chinese warplanes https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/taiwan-says-eight-chinese-air-force-planes-entered-its-air-defence-zone-2021-10-31 near democratic Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own and has not ruled out taking by force.

We came to you with one simple message, and it was clear: You’re not alone. Raphael Glucksmann (a French member to the European Parliament) told Taiwan President TsaiIngwen, “Europe is standing beside you” in a live broadcast on Facebook.

Glucksmann who leads the delegation said, “Our visit should not be considered as an essential first step.” We need next to set a clear agenda for high-level meetings, and take concrete steps towards a more solid EU-Taiwan partnership.

A committee from the European Parliament organized the three-day trip. It will feature exchanges with Taiwanese officials about threats like disinformation or cyberattacks.

Tsai has warned https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-taiwan-idUSKCN1SG08F of increasing Chinese efforts to gain influence in Taiwan, asking security agencies to counter infiltration efforts.

Tsai said to the presidential office delegation, “We hope we can establish a democracy alliance against disinformation.”

“We are confident that Taiwan and the EU will continue to build on their relationship in all domains.”

Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu made a rare trip https://www.reuters.com/world/china/europe-trip-taiwan-foreign-minister-calls-collaboration-facing-china-2021-10-29 to Europe last month that angered Beijing, which warned the host countries against undermining relations with China.

Most countries don’t want to host Taiwanese officials or send them high-ranking officials because they fear retaliation.

The European Parliament passed a resolution last month to strengthen ties with Taiwan. It included steps like looking into an agreement for investment.