How to use the maximum of potential for the EU-Taiwan cooperation - what can the EU learn from the US and other actors?

Peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait are under strain. The People’s Republic of China’s diplomatic offensive against the Republic of China, Taiwan, has more recently been coupled with routinised large-scale and increasingly complex military exercises, incursions across the median line and an uptick in hybrid warfare tactics. China’s assertiveness has been met, and sometimes anticipated, by United States-led military and diplomatic countermeasures aimed at fostering Taiwan’s resilience within the broader context of a forceful China pushback. This paper takes stock of cross-Strait dynamics, including the action-reaction spiral which feeds Chinese insecurity and assertiveness, to present options for the European Union (EU) to bolster relations with Taiwan. Based on best practices from Group of Seven allies, the United States of America in particular, the paper argues that the EU should adopt a twin track of diplomacy and realistic deterrence, coupled with reassurances that all interested parties – including its Member States and like-minded parties – will abide by a ‘One China’ policy. The paper also argues that the EU’s support of Taiwan’s democracy needs to take into consideration its fraught and polarised domestic politics.