Vilnius: Former President Tsai Ing-wen has urged Taiwan, Lithuania, and the European Union to collaborate more closely in addressing threats to undersea cables and other critical infrastructure crucial for information security.
According to Focus Taiwan, Tsai highlighted recent incidents during her speech at Vilnius University, where undersea cables in both the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea were severed over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese involvement in the sabotage near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have pointed fingers at Russia for the breaches in the Baltic region.
Tsai emphasized the importance of collaboration, stating, “Taiwan and our European friends should work closely together on this issue,” and advocated for the sharing of best practices to counteract increasing attacks on critical infrastructure. She also called for democracies to unite against the abuse of open information platforms.
Tsai positioned Taiwan as “an ideal partner for European countries” in addressing disinformation and manipulation campaigns by authoritarian regimes. She cited Taiwan’s experience in countering malign influence through cyberattacks, disinformation operations, and large-scale military drills as valuable.
The former president commended the ongoing collaborations between Taiwan and Lithuania, established during her tenure, which included opening a representative office in Vilnius and a trade office in Taipei. However, the growing relationship has faced challenges, including Beijing’s economic sanctions against Lithuania and concerns within Lithuania regarding the political and economic impact of the partnership.
During her European tour, Tsai met with former Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite and other officials. She also visited a Taiwanese-Lithuanian venture on vertical farming. Tsai’s office reported meetings with a U.S. House of Representatives delegation, including Betty McCollum and Jake Ellzey.
Following her visit to Lithuania, Tsai is scheduled to travel to Denmark and the United Kingdom.