TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan representative to the EU Roy Chun Lee (李淳) warned of Chinese pressure on Monday (Jan. 15), days after Taiwan’s elections, per CNA.

In a Euronews interview, Lee said the most critical thing for the EU and Taiwan for the next four years is not only to strengthen bilateral relations, but also to “tell Beijing that it is necessary to respect the international order and the results of Taiwan's democratic process.” Lee stressed, “Appeasement will only encourage Beijing to escalate (tensions).”

After the results of Taiwan’s elections were released on Saturday (Jan. 13), the European Union External Action Service (EEAS) released a statement “congratulating all voters who participated in this democratic activity.”

However, unlike official congratulations from the U.S., Japan, the U.K., and others that directly mentioned President-elect Lai Ching-te (賴清德), the EU’s statement did not.

The Chinese embassy to the EU protested against the statement. However, EEAS spokesperson Nabila Massrali did not directly respond, reiterating that the EU would continue to develop cooperation with Taiwan in areas such as human rights, trade, digital connectivity, employment, and combating disinformation.

In regards to the recent news of Nauru terminating diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Lee told Euronews that this was just the beginning of a series of intimidations by China toward Taiwan. In the coming months, and possibly even years, China will impose more coercion and pressure on Taiwan, so the EU’s firm support will be more important, he said.