German Parliament Delegation Visits Taiwan 德國國會友台小組訪團來台 蔡總統接見

Chairperson of the German-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group, led a cross-party delegation to visit Taiwan and met with President Tsai Ing-wen on the 3rd. 

Klaus-Peter Willsch, Chairperson of the German-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group, led a cross-party delegation of the group's five vice-chairpersons to Taiwan for a five-day visit. President Tsai Ing-wen received the delegation on the 3rd, which is the first German delegation to visit in three years.

Tsai Ing-wen, President: “All democracies should unite and cooperate to jointly defend the values of democracy and freedom. Taiwan looks forward to deepening cooperation with Germany in various fields.”

Klaus-Peter Willsch, Chairperson, German-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group: “The German parliament has mentioned in different documents if Taiwan is threatened with force, we will also stand up bravely to help support Taiwan.”

Willsch said that Taiwan is not only an important trading partner for Germany in Asia, but without Taiwan's semiconductors, the global industry may have serious problems. The German parliament also recognizes bilateral cooperation and exchanges with Taiwan. The Taiwan Strait issue has heated up recently. Since taking office, U.S. President Joe Biden has stated four times that if China invades Taiwan, he will send troops to defend Taiwan. U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in an interview on the 2nd that the United States is always ready to defend its own interests and fulfill its commitments. President Biden's response was clear.

Lloyd Austin, US Secretary of Defense: “We continue to work to make sure that we have the right capabilities in the right places to ensure that we help our allies maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

Austin mentioned that China is currently trying to establish a "new normal," with an increase in the number of military aircraft crossing the Taiwan Strait's median line, and increasing naval surface and maritime-related activities around Taiwan. All these are worthy of attention.
 

德國國會友台小組主席魏爾胥率跨黨派5位友台小組副主席訪問團，搭機來台，展開為期5天的訪問行程，蔡英文總統3日接見訪團，這也是在全球疫情爆發後，睽違3年的第一個德國訪團。

總統蔡英文表示：「所有民主國家更應該團結合作，共同捍衛民主自由價值的堅定防線，台灣期待和德國繼續加深各領域的合作。」

德國國會友台小組主席魏爾胥表示：「德國國會也在不同文件，跟不同的討論中提到，如果台灣受到武力威脅，德國也會勇敢地站出來協助台灣，支援台灣。」

魏爾胥說，台灣不僅是德國在亞洲重要的貿易夥伴，如果沒有台灣的半導體，全球的工業可能會有很大的問題，德國國會也很認同彼此雙邊的合作交流。近來台海議題升溫，美國總統拜登上任以來，4度表態若中國犯台，將出兵協防台灣，美國國防部長奧斯汀2日受訪說，美國隨時做好捍衛自身利益、履行承諾的準備，而拜登回覆的意思很清楚。

美國國防部長奧斯汀提到：「美國會繼續努力確保，在對的地方有對的權利，確認可以協助我們的盟友，維持自由開放的印太政策。」

奧斯汀提到，目前看到中國企圖建立「新常態」，跨越台海中線的共機數量增加，在台灣周邊也看到更多的海面船艦及海域相關活動，這值得關注。