European countries are cautiously emerging from their shadows to consider potential future assistance in Taiwan’s defence and security against the growing threat of China.
For decades, European countries and their defence contractors have been wary of doing business with Taiwan due to Beijing’s hard stance on the island. It mainly fell to American firms to support the island’s defence, with no significant orders from Europe in decades, besides some British help to develop Taiwan’s indigenous submarines.
However, some countries made steps to be closer to Taiwan at the recent Taipei Aerospace and Defence Technology Exhibition. Germany was represented with its trade office on the island to present Germany’s innovation in the sector. Also, French giant Airbus was present, showcasing a Flexrotor tactical vertical take-off and landing drone.
Even more telling, the Czech Republic sent Pavel Fischer, chairman of the Czech Senate’s Foreign Affairs, Defence and Security Committee, to the exhibition, and there he met with Taiwan Defence Minister Wellington Koo. Fischer told Reuters that “we know the complexity of Taiwan in the international arena, because of the active measures by the Communist Party of China.”
