Taiwan Lecture Series – Virtual Book Talk with Dr. Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy – Partners in Peace: Why Europe and Taiwan Matter to Each Other
Brussels has secured a place for “Taiwan as a partner” in its political discourse. This dynamic can’t be understood in a vacuum. It is important to situate the relationship in the larger geopolitical picture, particularly considering the implications of China’s support to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. Taiwan has sought to better position itself vis-à-vis Europe by engaging member states, in particular in Central Eastern Europe, and the EU as a bloc.
Ultimately, however, beyond a Taiwan-friendly European Parliament and a more assertive European Commission, it is the extent to which member states are willing to engage Taiwan and push back against an assertive China that matters most. So far, member states’ political will has been half-hearted only. Questions remain on how to expand cooperation in a way that both increases the EU’s role in shaping Taiwan’s future and empowers Taiwan to exercise agency. Taiwan’s geo-strategic relevance is likely to grow in the Indo-Pacific, a region of great significance to the EU’s own interests. Protecting these will require a more engaged Europe.
Join ISDP’s Stockholm Taiwan Center for a webinar in which associate research fellow Dr. Zsuzsa Anna Ferency discusses her recent book “Partners in Peace: Why Europe and Taiwan Matter to Each Other”. The book and its findings will be presented after which the audience tuning in will have the opportunity to pose their questions to the author.
About our speaker:
Dr. Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy is an Affiliated Scholar at the Department of Political Science of Vrije Universiteit Brussel and an Associated Research Fellow at the Institute for Security & Development Policy (ISDP Stockholm). Based in Taiwan, Zsuzsa is an Assistant Professor at the National Dong Hwa University in Hualien. Between 2008 and 2020 Zsuzsa worked as a political advisor in the European Parliament. Her latest book, “Partners in Peace. Why Europe and Taiwan Matter to Each Other” was published in October 2024. Zsuzsa is a regular commentator in international media outlets. She tweets at @zsuzsettte
Moderator: Agust Börjesson, Acting Head of the Stockholm Taiwan Center