TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The latest country to announce that it is sending envoys to Taiwan is Switzerland, with a visit penciled in for Feb. 5-10.
In response to Chinese threats it will invade the country, a carousel of politicians has arrived on Taiwan’s shores to show support. This has further angered the Chinese, who have responded with war games, and sent warplanes toward Taiwan on a daily basis.
Since former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived for talks in Taiwan in August, there have been high-level visits from other U.S. politicians, government ministers from Lithuania, the U.K., Australia, Germany, France, and others.
The Swiss online news portal SWI reported on Sunday (Jan. 15) that five Swiss members of parliament would be meeting with top-level officials in Taipei. The visit is set to go ahead despite Chinese officials warning that this will “send the wrong signals to the separatists,” aka pro-independence Taiwanese.
The all-party group of Swiss MPs will focus on “what could happen in the event of a Chinese attack on Taiwan,” said Fabian Molina, who chairs the Swiss-Taiwan parliamentary friendship group. It has not been confirmed if the Swiss MPs will meet President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).
Some Swiss MPs have questioned the wisdom of making the visit and stirring up the hornet’s nest that is China. However, Molina insisted that it was important to give “a sign of support for Taiwan.”