Taipei [Taiwan], October 31 (HBTV): Visiting Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) stated on Wednesday that China's hostility toward Taiwan is likely to backfire, further alienating the Taiwanese people. They drew parallels to Russia's actions, which have similarly shifted many Ukrainians' perceptions.

In an interview in Taipei, MEP Michael Gahler likened China's attempts to draw Taiwan into its sphere of influence to the situation in Ukraine, as reported by Focus Taiwan. Gahler, who is the chair of the European Taiwan Friendship Group and is leading a delegation of MEPs in Taiwan, remarked, "There were many Russian speakers in Ukraine who, for a time, questioned their identity, asking themselves, 'Who am I living in this country?'"

Hailing from Germany, Gahler noted that following Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, many Ukrainians expressed a strong sense of national identity, declaring, "I am Ukrainian. I do not want to be regarded as Russian." He emphasized, "Yes, I speak Russian, but I do not want to be treated in such a way. And that is not the future I envision."

According to the report, Gahler argued that Russia's rationale for its aggression—claiming discrimination against Russian speakers in Ukraine—has had the "opposite effect" of what it intended. He suggested that a similar outcome could result from China's approach toward Taiwan. "The more pressure there is, the more you say, 'No, we belong together, we stand together, and we do not want to be part of something that is so unfriendly to us,'" he stated.

MEP Bernard Guetta, also a member of the delegation, agreed. "The Beijing authorities should understand that, because of their hostility toward Taiwan, you are increasingly becoming a nation in the making—not only a country but a nation," Guetta, from France, remarked.  

(ANI)