Taiwanese Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung warned European countries on Oct. 13 that dependence on Chinese manufacturing threatens their economic security and political freedom, urging closer industrial cooperation with Taiwan as Europe seeks to reduce its reliance on Beijing.
Speaking at the Warsaw Security Forum in Poland, Lin accused Beijing of using state subsidies and unfair trade practices to undercut European industries and make the continent dependent on Chinese suppliers.
“Because China’s authoritarian ideology is fundamentally incompatible with Europe’s democracy, dependence on China is not merely an economic risk. It’s a threat to European freedom and sovereignty itself,” Lin said.
“A Europe controlled through its supply chains would be a Europe that had surrendered part of its liberty,” he added.
Lin compared Europe’s dependence on Chinese manufacturing with its previous reliance on Russian energy, which became a major vulnerability following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
He warned of what he called “China Shock 2.0,” describing a new wave of Chinese electric vehicles, batteries, solar panels, and steel entering international markets with substantial state support.
Lin accused Beijing of using industrial subsidies and below-cost sales to capture markets, weaken European competitors, and make Europe dependent on Chinese suppliers.
Europe’s Dependence on China
Lin’s remarks came two days before European Union leaders were scheduled to meet in Brussels to discuss economic competitiveness and global trade imbalances affecting European industry.
The European Commission has identified China’s industrial subsidies, trade practices, and export restrictions as challenges for European manufacturers.
According to the commission, the EU recorded a goods trade deficit of 359.9 billion euros ($403 billion) with China in 2025. European imports from China totaled 559.5 billion euros ($626 billion), compared with 199.5 billion euros ($223 billion) in exports, using Oct. 13 exchange rates.
The commission also said Chinese export restrictions on critical raw materials and certain technologies were negatively affecting European supply chains. Its stated policy is to reduce critical dependencies rather than sever economic ties with China.
Lin argued that Europe could strengthen its industries by combining its expertise in machinery, automotive engineering, chemicals, and design with Taiwan’s semiconductor manufacturing and electronics supply chains.
“Taiwan does not ask Europe to trade one dependence for another,” he said. “We are standing with Europe as a partner it can truly trust.”
Taiwanese Investment in Europe
Lin cited several Taiwanese semiconductor investments in Europe, including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company’s chipmaking project in Germany, GlobalWafers’ investment in Italy, and Foxconn’s advanced chip-packaging project in France.
He described the investments as examples of what he called the “Taiwan Model,” which emphasizes cooperation based on democratic values, the rule of law, free markets, and complementary industrial strengths.
“Taiwanese investment does not come to hollow out European industries,” he said. “It comes to build alongside it.”
Lin also pointed to a planned technology park in southwestern Poland as a further step in Taiwan’s European industrial expansion.
On Oct. 12, he visited Miekinia, near Wroclaw, to inspect the proposed site of the TEEMA Technology Park, a project led by the Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers’ Association.
The planned park would bring Taiwanese and Polish businesses together in artificial intelligence, smart-city technology, electric vehicles, and advanced manufacturing.
Taiwanese Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (C) poses with Taiwanese and Polish representatives during a visit to the proposed TEEMA Technology Park site in Miekinia, Poland, on Oct. 12, 2026. Taiwan and Poland plan to establish an industrial hub focused on artificial intelligence, smart-city technologies, and electric vehicles. Courtesy of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Taiwan
Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry said representatives of Taiwan and Poland intend to sign a memorandum of understanding before the end of 2026, with Taiwan’s International Cooperation and Development Fund helping advance arrangements to secure land.
Poland’s Ministry of Economic Development and Technology has also backed the project, describing the proposed park as a platform for cooperation among Taiwanese investors, Polish businesses, universities, and research institutions.
Polish Deputy Minister Michal Jaros said in June that Poland was ready to work with Taiwan to build more resilient supply chains.
Lin also connected the project to Ukraine’s eventual reconstruction. He said the planned technology park could provide an industrial base for cooperation in artificial intelligence, electric vehicles, and smart-city technologies.
“It can become a foundation on which Taiwan contributes to European efforts to reconstruct Ukraine,” Lin said.
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