Taipei, Taiwan — Taiwanese foreign minister Joseph Wu said that he’s “very glad” that the new Italian government, likely to be led by Brothers of Italy leader Giorgia Meloni, seems supportive of his country.
Speaking to a group of foreign journalists on a Taiwanese government-sponsored trip at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday, Wu responded to an Italian journalist’s question by first congratulating her on her country’s recent elections and then expressing his satisfaction with the potential new government’s apparently Taiwan-friendly stance.
“Congratulations for having a new government,” he said, adding, “We are very glad that the new government seems to be more friendly to Taiwan than before.” Wu then proceeded to answer the journalist’s question, which was on a different subject.
Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party earned 26 percent of the vote in Italy’s elections, the most of any individual party, and is widely expected to lead a right-wing governing coalition.
Her support of a tougher stance toward Beijing — and greater support of Taiwan — seems to have earned her plaudits from those on the frontlines of Chinese expansionism.
In an interview with the Central News Agency (CNA) newswire this month, Meloni said that “if there is a center-right government, it is sure that Taiwan will be an essential concern for Italy. She also told the Taiwanese government-backed outlet that Italy and Taiwan share a “sincere friendship” and that “all the democracies of the free world” must condemn Chinese aggression against the island democracy. A previous Italian government has signed on to Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative development project in 2019, which Meloni called “a big mistake.”
Despite these statements, which indicate that a future government led by her might be in greater alignment with Washington with regard to China, President Biden seemed to express concern about the Italian election result, saying on Wednesday that it shows “you can’t be sanguine about what’s happening here either.”
National Review is reporting from Taiwan on a trip organized and sponsored by the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.