For the very first time in the history, a parliamentairy delegation from Taiwan was officially received by the Dutch Parliament.
February 14 marked a historic day for the parliamentarian relations between The Netherlands and Taiwan. Taiwanese lawmakers Chiu Chih-Wei, Tsai Shih-Ying and Hsu Chih-Chieh, along with Representative HsinHsin Chen, were welcomed by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of the Dutch parliament. They were personally welcomed by the committee chairman Mr. Rudmer Heerema (VVD), and among others, MPs Sjoerd Sjoerdsma (D66), Agnes Mulder (CDA), Raymond de Roon (PVV), Jan Klink (VVD) Mustafa Amhaouch (CDA), Wybren van Haga (BVNL) and Derk-Jan Eppink (JA21).
The head of delegation, Mr. Chiu, first thanked the Tweede Kamer for passing six motions in recent years to show their continued support for Taiwan. He expressed hope that the two countries can further deepen their relations in a world with mounting threats from authoritarian countries.
Mr. Tsai and Hsu expressed theirs concerns about the unprecedented Chinese aggression. They argued that both fortifying Taiwan’s self defense capability and facilitating equal dialogue from both sides of the Taiwan Strait are equally important to prevent war. In recent years the Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan has passed a series of bills to increase Taiwan’s national defense budget in order to strengthen its military resilience.
During the meeting the Taiwanese and Dutch MPs also exchanged opinions on the war on Ukraine and its repercussions for Taiwan, Taiwan’s relations with Indo-Pacific countries, and Taiwan-EU’s cooperation on the semiconductor industry. Mr. Chiu thanked the Tweede Kamer for its warm hospitality, and hoped that the Dutch parliament can also form a delegation to visit Taiwan in the near future.
