TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Nicola Beer, vice president of the European Parliament (EP), will visit Taiwan from Tuesday to Thursday (July 19 - 21), during which she will meet with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and other Taiwanese politicians, marking the first time an EP official of such rank has visited the country, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said in a press release on Monday.

According to MOFA, Beer’s visit is another show of the EP’s support for Taiwan after its Special Committee for Foreign Interference in all Democratic Processes in the EU, including Disinformation (INGE) first formed an official delegation to visit the country in November last year.

MOFA said that Beer will meet with Tsai, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), and other officials during her visit.

Noting that Beer has been a long-time supporter of Taiwan’s freedom and democracy, the ministry said she has not only supported Taiwan-related resolutions in the EP, but also given her signature to support Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Assembly and related international organizations.

Beer has expressed her concern about the security situation across the Taiwan Strait in the EP on many occasions. In December 2020, she held an online press conference to openly call on the EU and its member states to take actions to strengthen the relationship between the two parties, MOFA stated, calling Beer an important ally of Taiwan.

During what will be her first visit to Taiwan, Beer will not only examine the country’s democratic development and Taiwan Strait security issues, but will also look into potential areas of cooperation between Taiwan and the EU’s high-tech supply chains, according to the MOFA.