A Czech think tank has opened an office in Taiwan. The European Values Center for Security Policy''s office in Taipei will focus on monitoring Chinese influence operations. At Friday''s opening ceremony, the think tank''s director said that Taiwan was the ideal site for the office, as it stood on the front line against the CCP. Others at the ceremony included Taiwan''s foreign minister Joseph Wu and American Institute in Taipei Director Sandra Oud-kirk.
He goes down the line, greeting each guest with an elbow bump. Foreign minister Joseph Wu is here to attend the opening of a Czech think tank’s office in Taiwan.
Joseph Wu
Foreign minister
The EVC is the first Czech and the second European think tank to set up a presence in Taiwan. The establishment of the Taipei office is an example of what can be achieved when vibrant democracies work together. By standing shoulder to shoulder, we send a very clear message to the world that our partnerships are stronger than ever.
Jakub Janda
EVC director
And there are two reasons. One, Taiwan is a place that we need to defend, as people who believe in democracies. And second, Taiwan is a place that we can learn from, how to keep the democracy, while facing the threats.
The European Values Center for Security Policy is a well-known think tank in the Czech Republic. Its work mainly centers on Russian influence operations against democracy in central and eastern Europe. In recent years, the CCP has also become a focus of its research, due to China’s increased activity in central and eastern Europe. The think tank chose Taiwan for its new office, saying it was because Taiwan had studied and resisted the CCP for decades.
Sandra Oudkirk
AIT director
The PRC''s provocative military activities near Taiwan are destabilizing, risk miscalculation, and undermine regional peace and stability. Continued efforts by Beijing to choke Taiwan''s international space, pressure its friends, and interfere in Taiwan''s democratic system represent a threat to all democracies. The U.S.-Taiwan partnership demonstrates this approach. U.S. support for Taiwan remains rock solid, principled, and bipartisan, in line with longstanding American commitments.
AIT Director Sandra Oudkirk also attended the launch ceremony. She reiterated that the U.S.’ support for Taiwan was rock solid. She said she was pleased to see increased interest from European partners on Asia-Pacific security matters.
Jerry Liu
Former diplomat
I think that Director Oudkirk’s attendance at this event has strategic implications – it’s a message that in the future, if Taiwan expands its substantive diplomatic relations with these central and eastern European countries, there will be support from the U.S.
Lai I-chung
The Prospect Foundation head
In the past, we focused heavily on Western Europe. Now we’re filling in the puzzle with central and eastern Europe. This will be very helpful to our overall diplomatic strategy for Europe.
Following a visit from European parliamentarians and Lithuania’s decision to allow a Taiwan office, the new think tank office is the latest sign of Taiwan’s warming relations with Europe.