My latest on Taiwan, Vatican, and EU. The question I ask is not how #Taiwan can keep the #Vatican close, but how can it pull #Europe closer? Taiwan must bring substance to ties w/Europe & cooperate w/Holy See wherever this helps boost its global profile & fosters global peace.

🎙️New episode With my brilliant co-host @richheydarian.bsky.social we explore geopolitical developments affecting Europe & ASEAN. We’re joined by Stefania Benaglia to unpack the SCO summit, India’s strategic positioning & implications for the war in Ukraine. Co-hosted by EPinASEAN @9dashline.com.

🚨China’s lawfare & long-arm jurisdiction. Understanding the implications. I joined a panel in Brussels hosted by European Foundation for Democracy, to unpack China’s lawfare against #Taiwan, or the weaponisation of law to achieve its strategic aims. Such panels must be more regular in Brussels.

Happy to share I joined the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies as Visiting Fellow for 6 months. Based primarily in Brussels, I’ll be researching EU-ASEAN ties, Taiwan of course, China & everything concerning the Indo-Pacific. Happy to re-connect with many of you in the Brussels bubble 🫧

Le ministre taïwanais des Affaires étrangères, Lin Chia-lung [林佳龍], et son collègue de la Culture, Li Yuan [李遠], ont assisté le 11 septembre au musée national tchèque, à Prague, au vernissage de l’exposition spéciale "Cent objets du musée national du Palais et leurs histoires". #Taiwan #Tchéquie

Someone’s clearly thinking outside the bag. Merci, Longchamp 👜🧋🇹🇼

On #SCO summit, I told LRT that Xi portrayed the gathering as his response to the chaos caused by Trump; stability in uncertain times. Xi is effectively & strategically exploiting anxiety felt across the developing world. More below 👇🏼 www.lrt.lt/naujienos/pa...

Awareness of the strategic importance of #Taiwan has grown across the EU. Though it varies by member state, engagement opportunities exist everywhere. Good to reconnect w/Rep. Elliot Wang at Taipei Office in Hungary to deepen engagement. (Zooming in on the pin I wore ✌🏼)

The race for critical raw materials is heating up⚡️ Had a timely & engaging conversation on the sidelines of Jakarta Futures Forum 2025 with Lisa Singh & Lavanya Mani on resource nationalism vs. regional cooperation and who can/will lead in de-risking supply chains.

Spotted in Pienza, Tuscany. ✌🏼

Thrilled to be at the Jakarta Futures Forum, co-hosted by Observer Research Foundation and CSIS Indonesia — as always, more than a conference; a space for building relationships, trust and forward-thinking.

Over the long term, can ASEAN position itself as a leader in the green economy, and form strategic alliances with Europe as a partner in sustainable resource management? My latest for ORF on EU-ASEAN cooperation on critical minerals in a geoeconomic era. www.orfonline.org/expert-speak...

In our latest for @9dashline.com, with @jgurolhaller.bsky.social we urge coordinated action to link EU’s Global Gateway with #Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy & work with ASEAN as *partners* for enhanced connectivity. Together they can redefine connectivity as a tool for empowerment and resilience.

EU sent a "clear and consistent" message to Beijing at the summit this week: it wants a balanced relationship with China. It must now hold its ground and try to stay as coherent as possible. Quoted in Deutsche Welle. www.dw.com/en/eu-china-...

For Beijing, EU-China summits are not the place to commit to concessions, but the perfect platform to talk up EU-China cooperation as a win-win—the kind where China wins twice. My take for Carnegie Europe’s Taking the Pulse.

25th EU-China summit EU press release — see what was included on #Taiwan 👇🏼

How is Russia’s invasion of Ukraine shaping regional responses to PRC assertiveness against #Taiwan? Happy to join colleagues from Japan, India, US & Korea at the 28th World Congress of Political Science (IPSA). Great panel, great to be back in Seoul.

“We all need Taiwan to succeed” — Franck Paris, Director of French Office in Taipei. Celebrating Bastille Day in Taiwan 🇫🇷

⚡️Can Taiwan retain its leadership position in the semiconductor industry, capitalize on supply chain changes & catalyze its industrial transformation? ⚡️What’s behind Taiwan's semiconductor success? ⚡️What can/should Europe learn? Our latest @isdp-sweden.bsky.social brief with Yingfen Lin.

Time we take EU-Taiwan ties to new heights. In this Taipei Times piece with Simona Grano we argue that the EU and Taiwan must step up. EU member states must do more, in line with their own strengths & ambitions, but moving in the same direction with consistency & predictability.

The Philippines has waived tourist visa requirements for Taiwan passport holders. “Beijing’s effort to deter Manila’s embrace of Taiwan is not working,” commented @zsuzsettte.bsky.social. “It has backfired and is helping normalise cooperation with Taiwan.” asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Int...

Visa-free entry reciprocation between Taiwan & the Philippines suggests both recognize the urgency of deepening exchanges against a hostile China. Neither can afford to ignore the other, they know they must improve exchanges & access. Quoted in Nikkei Asia. 🙏🏼 @thomchau.bsky.social t.co/6KB036q7wo

Honest conversations at KAS Vietnam on Europe’s ambitions in Indo-Pacific & how ASEAN can negotiate its cooperation w/EU. A special event, as it was Florian Feyerabend’s last in his capacity as Country Director for Vietnam. Grateful for our cooperation in the past 4 yrs, linking Hanoi & Taipei 💫

Yerevan Dialogue 2025 - conversations on regional peace & connectivity, trade, tech, AI & multilateralism - or the end of it? As innovation meets uncertainty, are resilient interdependencies the answer for a more equitable future? Suitable setting & timing to highlight Taiwan’s strategic value.

Great episode of The Bridge @9dashline.com ft. Stephen Nagy in conversation with @zsuzsettte.bsky.social & @richheydarian.bsky.social talking about China’s diplomatic engagement in SE Asia: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

Good to have international scholars, experts regularly join discussions in Taipei on Taiwan’s security, Europe and Indo-Pacific — consistency matters.

Computex Taipei is so cool ⚡️ Got myself a craft beer paper notebook made by Kitafuku in Yokohama — the company upcycles malt waste, which is typically discarded by breweries, into usable & beautiful paper.

Can’t get enough of this view. A visit to Turtle Island still on my to do list. #Taiwan

Taiwan-Lithuania ties have a solid foundation. They must now adjust to political realities. What’s needed: fewer grand gestures, more robust cooperation across political parties and across society. My take on why Tsai Ing-wen’s visit matters. 🙏🏼 @demesdavid.bsky.social table.media/china/analys...

The kind of Taiwan news you don’t want to miss 🐾

At Sushi Tech Tokyo 💭 Interesting session urging to unlock ASEAN markets, strongly encouraging Japan’s young entrepreneurs (seen to be “too slow”) to explore more opportunities in the region.

Symbolism and substance? In its discourse, EU has normalised expressing support for Taiwan, but there is no guarantee this will remain in the long run. Tsai’s visit to Denmark & Lithuania may help consolidate the substance of EU-Taiwan ties - I told @alexsjoeberg.bsky.social. For more see link 👇🏼

Tsai Ing-wen to visit Denmark forCopenhagen Democracy Summit. Frist time a former TW president will visit the country: www.berlingske.dk/internationa... @berlingske.bsky.social

Celebrating Europe Day in Taiwan through music. A good opportunity to reiterate that the #EU will remain a reliable partner for #Taiwan — as Lutz Güllner Head of EETO in Taiwan said. Glad to be part of celebrating each other’s rich culture — not less important than discussing common threats.

Making plans, making friends. #Taiwan

💥What does Taiwan expect of the EU? 💥What does the EU expect of Taiwan? Important questions the two sides must get right if they want to expand ties while they adjust to global shifts and shocks. We assessed #EU-#Taiwan ties at the Science Bubble Tea hosted by the French Office in Taipei.

Hualien has its own fine dining restaurant! Only locally sourced ingredients, traditional flavours aesthetically mixed, everythig is delicious. A beautiful way to explore #Taiwan. Fūjō is in Jiang Jun Fu 1936, Japanese dormitories built in the 1920s, restored & open since 2024. Come visit!

Feeling nostalgic about the early 2010s when Minister David Lin was Taiwan’s Representative in the EU and Belgium and I was in my early years working in the European Parliament. That said, reconnecting in #Taiwan’s most beautiful campus in #Hualien feels quite special.

Taiwan president won’t attend Pope Francis’s funeral. Taipei has had good reason to worry about Vatican’s interactions with China, which, ironically, unfolded amid increasing restrictions on religious freedom in the country. Thanks @heldavidson.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...

In response to Trump’s tariffs, SE Asian countries are likely to seek talks to discretely lower their individual rates. “This is exactly the position the Trump administration wants to be in. Trump prefers to deal with countries bilaterally.” - @hmarston.bsky.social More here👇🏼 buff.ly/DmHoDCQ

Merci au Bureau Français de Taipei de m’accueillir pour la 11ème édition du « Science Bubble Tea ». Heureuse de pouvoir débattre de la relation entre Taïwan et l’Europe et de prolonger la discussion autour d’un bubble tea 🧋 ➡️ lnkd.in/gZHPNdxE

Driving from Ipoh to Penang 🇲🇾 A good reminder that the sky is always blue. The rest is just drama.

The EU as a collective comes after individual member states in SE Asian perceptions.They are more visible, concrete, credible — this is what I sense in Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia. If the EU is serious about #GlobalGateway (& Indo-Pacific), it better rethink & level up its approach.

An interesting week to be in #Malaysia as China’s Xi Jinping is touring the region. I’m in KL to explore perceptions of Europe and assess the local mindset on how (and if) the Global Gateway could support Malaysia’s strategic priorities.

Happening now. Discussing #Taiwan and resilience through a European lens- from earthquakes, through pandemics to the China factor. Great initiative of the French Centre for Research on Contemporary China at Academia Sinica in Taipei.

Tomorrow, March 26, 10am CET I will discuss EU-Taiwan relations with colleagues at @isdp-sweden.bsky.social as part of the Taiwan Lecture series of the Stockholm Taiwan Center — register and join our conversation⚡️

Blessed 💛💛

Faced with a trade war & the threat of annexation, Canadians have stood strong—turning to Europe as the path forward. Seeing this firsthand over the past two weeks was truly inspiring— and exploring the thriving art scene of #Canada was a highlight. Thanks for having me!

I expect interest in Europe-Taiwan relations to grow in Canada in the near future. Thrilled to engage & encourage trilateral conversations that avoid seeing #Taiwan through a China lens. Good exchange at Asian Institute Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, University of Toronto.

Wonderful to reconnect with Ambassador Harry Tseng, Taiwan’s Representative in Canada. While serving in the Brussels bubble, Amb. Tseng also helped bring #Europe and #Taiwan closer together. Thank you for hosting!