Japan, the EU and Taiwan: what happened this week? - June 28th
Welcome to the weekly newsletter curated by JET Observatory! You will find here the summary of what happened this week between the EU, Japan and Taiwan.
Taiwan - EU
The European Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan's Low Carbon Initiative and Taoyuan International Airport Corporation recently co-hosted a seminar on sustainable airport development. Focused on using hydrogen to decarbonize aviation, the event featured presentations on TTIA's developments, including a new terminal and runway. Emissions reduction efforts include energy-efficient upgrades and renewable energy adoption. Experts discussed sustainable building practices, hydrogen's role in aviation, and innovative lighting solutions to improve airport sustainability and efficiency.
Europe might focus more on Taiwan after far-right gains in the EU parliamentary elections, said Institute of Policy Research chief executive officer Wang Hong-zen Wang Hong-zen at a Taipei forum. The EU may adopt more conservative policies on climate, security, and trade. Taiwan could benefit in tech and security cooperation with Europe. US-EU relations remain strong.
Japan - EU
The European Union is pursuing security and defense partnerships with Japan and South Korea for joint military equipment development, marking its first such collaboration with Asian nations. An agreement with Japan is expected by year-end, facilitating EU-funded projects managed by Japanese and European companies. Japan, facing a complex security environment, has bolstered its defense industry and seeks deeper cooperation with the U.S. and other allies to counter China's maritime assertiveness. It was also recently announced next month, French, German, and Spanish air forces will conduct joint exercises with Japan's Air Self-Defense Force for the very same reason and Italy's navy and air force will also train with Japan in August.
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo met with European Commission Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager, Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Saito Ken, and Republic of Korea Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Ahn Duk-geun to discuss the importance of maintaining trustworthy and resilient supply chains in key sectors. The discussion focused on concerns about non-market policies and practices that could distort markets and harm workers and industries. Emphasizing the need to diversify supply chains, the ministers agreed to continue their communication on this issue, aligning their approach with other multilateral forums, such as the U.S.-Japan-Republic of Korea Trilateral Commerce and Industry Ministerial Meeting.
Katsuhiro Saka, Deputy Director General of the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries met with Dirk Jakobs, Director General of FoodDrinkEurope, the associations that represents the interests of the European food and drink sector, to discuss on trade and food policies.
Opinion articles
“The New EU Leadership Must Unite on China” by Anders Fogh Rasmussen, published on Project Syndacate
“Japan: No Indo-Pacific Order Without International Order” by Jagannath Panda, Julie Yu-Wen Chen and Richard Ghiasy, published on the Diplomat
“The international diplomatic war over Taiwan’s status just escalated sharply” by Courtney Donovan Smith, published on the Taipei Times
“How to Start a War Over Taiwan” by Ian Buruma, published on the New Yorker
“Taiwan: Rapidly Moving Away From China” by Milton Ezrati, published on Forbes
That’s all for this week! Do not forget to follow JET Observatory on Twitter/X and Linkedin too!