Swiss parliamentarians confirm visit to Taiwan

Taiwan military personnel stand guard during the visit of the Taiwanese president on December 30, a day before a high-level national security meeting amidst rising tension between China and Taiwan. Keystone / Ritchie B. Tongo

Five Swiss parliamentarians plan to travel to Taiwan in February to meet with Taiwanese politicians and representatives of various ministries. Chinese officials warned the delegation not to “send the wrong signals to the separatists” who seek Taiwan’s independence from China.

The trip is expected to take place from February 5 to 10 according to a reportExternal link in NZZ Magazin on Sunday. The parliamentarians who will travel to the island include Fabian Molina who co-chairs the Swiss-Taiwan parliamentary friendship group along with fellow Social Democratic Party (SP) member Mustafa Atici, two members of the Greens, and Yves Nidegger from the right-wing Swiss People’s Party.

The trip is “a sign of support for Taiwan,” Molina told the NZZ.  Meetings in Taiwan will focus on economic cooperation, democracy and defense including questions such as “what could happen in the event of a Chinese attack on Taiwan,” noted Molina. The question is important for Switzerland, he adds, as it takes up its two-year term on the UN Security Council.

It is still open whether the delegation will meet Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen. The Swiss visit is in response to an invitation from Taiwanese politicians, but the trip had to be postponed several times due to the pandemic. The Swiss politicians pay for their flights and hotel accommodation themselves.

Sensitivities

The visit to the island is politically sensitive and has already provoked reactions by fellow Swiss parliamentarians and Chinese officials. Officially, Switzerland does not recognise the island as a sovereign state – but it does maintain ties through other channels, notably trade, as well as unofficial visits, such as those by the parliamentary friendship group.

Some Swiss parliamentarians from various political parties questioned the value of the trip, and whether it could be counterproductive at a time of heightened tensions between China and Taiwan.

The Chinese embassy in Bern reacted to the Swiss delegation’s trip indicating that it hoped the Swiss parliamentarians will prioritise “maintaining peace across the Taiwan Strait” and “refrain from any form of official contact with the authorities in Taiwan”. In a statement to the NZZ, the Embassy encouraged the politicians not to “send the wrong signals to the separatists” who seek Taiwan’s independence.

Last October, the Chinese consul general in Zurich reacted to plans for the trip, telling the Schaffhauser Nachtrichten newspaper that a visit would be “disruptive” and unhelpful for Swiss-China relations.

Chinese officials made similar statementExternal links ahead of a visit by a high-ranking parliamentary delegation from Germany who visited the island this past week.