August 11, 2018
No. 199
The Honorable Hans van Baalen, Member of the European Parliament (MEP) and President of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party (ALDE), paid an official visit to Taiwan from August 7 to 10 at the invitation of the Republic of China (Taiwan) government. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomes President Van Baalen’s visit.
During his stay in Taiwan, MEP Van Baalen called on President Tsai Ing-wen and President of the Legislative Yuan Su Jia-chyuan, and visited government agencies such as the National Security Council, the National Development Council, and the Mainland Affairs Council. He also attended a luncheon hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a dinner hosted by Taoyuan City Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan.
MEP Van Baalen was elected to the Dutch House of Representatives in 1999 before becoming a Member of the European Parliament in 2009. He has been President of the European Parliament’s ALDE Party since November 2015, and serves concurrently as the Honorary President of Liberal International. A longstanding friend of Taiwan, MEP Van Baalen has visited numerous times in the past to further advance cooperative relations between Taiwan and the Netherlands, as well as Taiwan and the EU, and to gain a deeper understanding of Taiwan’s current diplomatic strategies and important government developments. (E)