The Project on Taiwan in the Indo-Pacific Region held a Panel Discussion on Partners in Need?: Tracking Europe-Taiwan Relations amidst Global Disruption on Friday, February 27, 2026 from 12:00-1:30 p.m. PT in the Annenberg Conference Room, George P. Shultz Building.
Since 2020, ties between Taiwan and Europe have seen a sharp uptick, both with the European Union and with individual states. Europe’s approach to Taiwan has shifted from relative marginality toward greater strategic relevance. Growing parliamentary engagement, expanding economic and technological cooperation, and more frequent political exchanges reflect a broader reassessment of Europe’s external partnerships. Rather than a single policy turn, this shift results from incremental adjustments across EU institutions and individual states, driven by changing assessments of risks and benefits associated with engagement with Taiwan.
To explore these developments, the Project on Taiwan in the Indo-Pacific held a discussion between Matej Šimalčík, the Executive Director of the Central European Institute of Asian Studies, and Gabrielius Landsbergis, a visiting fellow at Stanford. Mr. Šimalčík is the co-author of a new report exploring the patterns of relations between Taiwan and the states of Europe. Mr. Landsbergis was the Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania and oversaw the opening of a a Taiwanese representative office in Vilnius. The People’s Republic of China reacted to this step by demanding that Lithuania close or at least rename the office, and Beijing imposed a full boycott of Lithuanian products. This economic retaliation violated EU rules and ultimately provoked pushback from Brussels, in a dispute that continues today.
