Taipei: Taiwan and Europe face common challenges in a geopolitically volatile world and should continue to expand cooperation on economic and security issues, visiting European Parliament (EP) member Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann said Tuesday.

According to Focus Taiwan, Strack-Zimmermann, who chairs the EP's Committee on Security and Defence, emphasized the importance of Taiwan to Europe as a democracy and a key economic and technological partner during her meeting with President Lai Ching-te at the Presidential Office. She noted that while the situations in Europe and Taiwan differ, both regions encounter similar challenges.

Strack-Zimmermann highlighted that Russia's aggression against Ukraine has compelled Europe to prioritize preparedness and resilience, mirroring Taiwan's focus on safeguarding critical technologies and supply chains. Given these circumstances, she advocated for continued practical cooperation between Europe and Taiwan, particularly in areas such as semiconductors, cybersecurity, supply chain security, critical infrastructure, and industrial resilience.

She further stated that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are directly linked to Europe's security and prosperity. Her delegation expressed support for stability and dialogue, while opposing coercion and unilateral changes to the status quo.

President Lai expressed gratitude to the European Parliament for adopting resolutions in January concerning the annual reports on the European Union Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). These resolutions included language opposing China's misinterpretation of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 and its military provocations around Taiwan.

Strack-Zimmermann is leading an 11-member delegation from the Committee on Security and Defence to Taiwan from March 30 to April 2. This visit marks the first by the group since its transformation into a full committee last year, as noted by Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The delegation also includes Spanish MEPs Nicol¡s Pascual De La Parte and Jos© Cepeda, Estonian MEP Urmas Paet, Latvian MEP MartinÅ¡ Stakis, and Greek MEP Nikolas Farantouris, according to the ministry.