In a series of bold diplomatic maneuvers, Taiwan has emerged as a focal point in East Asia’s shifting geopolitical landscape, with its leaders fanning out across Europe and beyond to reinforce alliances and challenge Beijing’s longstanding diplomatic dominance. Over the past week, the island’s Vice President, Bi-Khim Hsiao, made history by becoming the first sitting Taiwanese vice president since 2002 to visit a European country without formal diplomatic ties to Taipei, according to Bloomberg. Hsiao’s visit to Brussels, where she addressed the European Parliament at the annual summit of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), marks a significant escalation in Taiwan’s efforts to secure international support amid rising anxiety over former U.S. President Donald Trump’s ambiguous stance on defending Taiwan from potential Chinese military aggression.
Hsiao’s speech at the European Parliament was not just a symbolic gesture. She spoke before an independent alliance of lawmakers who advocate for a tougher approach to China, urging the European Union to bolster security and trade ties with Taiwan. As ABC News reported, Hsiao declared, “Europe has defended freedom under fire. And Taiwan has defended democracy under pressure,” before warning that peace in the Taiwan Strait is “a cornerstone of global prosperity.” Her remarks received a standing ovation, underscoring growing European recognition of Taiwan’s strategic and democratic significance.
This diplomatic push comes at a time when Taiwan’s government is also looking to deepen ties with Israel, despite mounting criticism over Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza. On November 12, 2025, Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Lin Chia-Lung told reporters in Taipei that Israel’s support for Taiwan is unmatched by other Middle Eastern countries. Lin pointed to a declaration signed earlier this year by 72 members of the Israeli parliament supporting Taiwan’s inclusion in key international organizations as evidence of this unique relationship. “Taiwan will be friendly to countries that are friendly to us,” Lin said, as quoted by AP News. He emphasized that Taiwan’s approach to international partnerships is guided by both human rights and national interests.
Lin also addressed the sensitive issue of Taiwan’s planned donation to a medical center in an Israeli settlement in the West Bank, which had drawn criticism in light of the International Court of Justice’s ruling that Israeli presence in occupied Palestinian territories is illegal. While Lin did not confirm whether the donation plan had been scrapped, he stressed that Taiwan prioritizes humanitarian support in the Israel-Hamas conflict and provides aid to both sides, including Gaza and Palestine. “In fact, we provide a lot of humanitarian aid to both sides, including the Gaza Strip and Palestine,” Lin stated.
But it is not just in the Middle East or Europe where Taiwan’s diplomatic calculus is evolving. In Japan, a dramatic policy shift is underway. In early November 2025, Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made headlines with her hawkish remarks in the Japanese Diet, declaring that any Chinese blockade of Taiwan would constitute a “national survival crisis situation” for Japan and could trigger the mobilization of Japan’s self-defense forces. This is a significant departure from Japan’s traditional strategy of ambiguity, as highlighted by The Japan Times. Takaichi’s comments directly link Japan’s national security to Taiwan’s status, signaling a willingness to confront Beijing more openly than ever before.
The October 28, 2025, summit in Tokyo between Prime Minister Takaichi and U.S. President Donald Trump further cemented this new posture, with both leaders stressing the need to maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded by reaffirming the island’s commitment to its Four Pillars of Peace action plan and pledging to enhance its self-defense capabilities. “The maintenance of cross-strait peace and stability is crucial to the security and prosperity of the world,” the ministry stated, according to Mark Buckton’s analysis in Taipei.
These developments have not gone unnoticed in Beijing. The Chinese government responded sharply to both Japan’s and Europe’s moves. After Hsiao’s appearance in Brussels, China’s Foreign Ministry condemned the visit as interference in its internal affairs. The Chinese consul-general in Osaka went so far as to threaten Takaichi in a now-deleted social media post, a move that only highlighted the region’s volatility. In response, Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Lin Chia-Lung reasserted Taiwan’s status as a sovereign and independent nation, emphasizing in a YahooTV interview that “the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are not subordinate to one another.” Lin also noted that Hsiao’s invitation to speak at the IPAC summit, with approval from both the EU and Belgium, reflects Europe’s growing willingness to engage with Taiwan despite Chinese pressure.
“China has no right to interfere,” Lin insisted, stressing that while Beijing might react irrationally or impose sanctions, Taiwan has contingency plans in place for all scenarios. The Foreign Ministry also strongly condemned Chinese officials’ characterization of Hsiao’s trip and former President Tsai Ing-Wen’s participation in the Berlin Freedom Conference as “furtive visits,” arguing that China’s aggressive suppression of Taiwan harms cross-strait relations and exposes its authoritarian nature to the international community.
For Japan, the shift toward a more direct stance on Taiwan raises the stakes in its relationship with China. As Ryo Sahashi, a professor at the University of Tokyo, observed, “It is conceivable that Japan could recognize a situation threatening its very existence even without being directly attacked.” However, he cautioned against pre-emptively listing such scenarios, suggesting it offers little diplomatic advantage. Nevertheless, Takaichi’s language of a “survival-threatening situation” transforms what was once mere deterrence rhetoric into actionable policy under Japan’s security laws.
Europe’s decision to host Hsiao at the European Parliament, though not a formal foreign-policy event, is loaded with symbolism. It signals that Taiwan is no longer seen as a peripheral issue but as integral to global democratic and technological supply chains. The move tests the limits of the conventional “one-China policy,” offering Taiwan a rare moment of high-visibility diplomatic engagement. For Brussels, this creates a delicate balancing act: reconciling commercial ties and energy dependence on China with a newfound assertiveness in supporting democratic partners like Taiwan.
Taken together, these moves by Tokyo and Brussels reflect a broader recalibration in East Asia’s security environment. Taiwan’s strategic importance now extends well beyond the cross-strait impasse, touching on global semiconductor supply chains, technological alliances, and the defense of democratic values. Both Japan and the EU are signaling that unilateral attempts by Beijing to alter the status quo will no longer go unanswered.
Yet, the risks are clear. For Japan, a more open stance on Taiwan could increase the likelihood of direct confrontation with China. For the EU, the challenge lies in maintaining coherence and discipline in its approach without provoking unnecessary escalation. As the world watches these new alliances and postures take shape, the question remains: can democratic powers convert symbolic gestures into sustained deterrence without stumbling into unwanted conflict?
The events of November 2025 have undoubtedly set a new course for Taiwan’s international standing, with its leaders seizing the moment to expand the island’s global footprint and challenge the diplomatic norms that have long favored Beijing.
