Andrey Kovatchev, rapporteur for the opinion of the Committee on Foreign Affairs . − Mr President, I welcome Mr Díaz de Mera’s report. After decades of tension, the political climate between the present Taiwanese Government and the People’s Republic of China is positive. There are direct flights between the two and an economic cooperation framework agreement is already in force.

Relations between Taiwan and the European Union are also experiencing a positive trend: trade turnover and academic and business exchanges are high. Education, democratic governance and income in Taiwan are at the level of Japan and South Korea. Based on this and other positive trends, the AFET Committee supports Mr Díaz de Mera’s report in favour of lifting the visa requirement for Taiwan. As the report says, we expect that, before the measures enter into force, Taiwan will lift the visa requirement for all 27 Member States as well. It should be recalled that visa regimes – and any consular or private law regimes – do not prejudice any position on the status of territories under public international law.