TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Members of Germany’s Bundestag are planning to visit Taiwan in early October, a Taiwanese legislator said during a trip to Europe Tuesday (Aug. 9).

Social Democratic Party (SDP) legislator Holger Becker is the latest politician to announce plans for a visit in defiance of China’s threats against contacts with Taiwan. He mentioned the trip during a conversation with visiting Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators Fan Yun (范雲) and Lin I-chin (林宜瑾), the Liberty Times reported.

He was not worried about being targeted by China for retaliation, as now was the time for democracies to stand together, the DPP lawmakers said. They were visiting Europe to exchange views with local policymakers and experts about digital education and digital affairs.

Becker, who was elected to the Bundestag last year, researched semiconductor manufacturing after he obtained a Ph.D. degree from Germany’s renowned Heidelberg University.

According to Fan, Becker was organizing a visit to Taiwan for the first week of October, while downplaying the risk of him facing a ban on entering China.