The European Parliament voted on Thursday to begin an “impact assessment” to study establishing new trade ties with China, with 580 votes in favor, 26 against with 66 abstaining. Following the vote, E.U. rapporteur Charlie Weimers said, “The EU is ready to upgrade its relationship with our key partner Taiwan.”
“The Commission must now intensify EU-Taiwan relations and pursue a comprehensive enhanced partnership with Taiwan,” Weimers added. “Work on an impact assessment, a public consultation and a scoping exercise on a Bilateral Investment Agreement (BIA) with the Taiwanese authorities in preparation for negotiations to deepen our economic ties must begin before the end of this year.”
