Molina on discussion in Taiwan: “We must have a confident foreign policy”

It has been clear since Tuesday: the National Council wants to strengthen relations with the Taiwanese parliament. He reinforced this effort by passing a motion from his foreign policy committee by 97 votes to 87.

SP National Councillor, Fabian Molina, the author of the motion, tells Watson: “I am very pleased that the National Council has taken this decision. In this way an exchange can take place on topics of bilateral importance. And especially on regional security and peace.”

He adds: “In my opinion, it is crucial that Switzerland shows solidarity with the most democratic country in the region. In addition, Switzerland should diversify its relations and not put everything on the map of China.”

Molina’s motion is also well received outside parliament. Sanija Ameti, co-chair of Operation Libero, tweeted that Switzerland’s one China policy should be abolished.

But not everyone is positively surprised by the decision. A minority of the SVP and FDP in the National Council believed the initiative went against the concept of parliamentary diplomacy and was inappropriate in the current tense international environment.

Maurer’s visit to the Chinese ambassador

In an official statement, the Chinese embassy in Bern also expressed “strong dissatisfaction” and rejected the motion.

Shortly after the National Council’s decision, the embassy posted a photo on its website of a meeting between former federal councilor Ueli Maurer and Chinese ambassador Wang Shihting. The timing of the publication is remarkable, as the meeting finally took place in mid-April. The embassy writes: “Federal Councilor Maurer emphasized that Swiss-Chinese relations have a good historical basis and that bilateral cooperation in the fields of economics, trade and finance has borne great fruit in recent years.”

According to André Simonazzi, spokesman for the Federal Council, Maurer met with the official representative of the Chinese state in Switzerland without the knowledge of the incumbent Federal Council.

Molina says: “What exactly is behind it is purely speculative. Especially why this photo is being published now, even though it is already three weeks old. But it is common knowledge that Ueli Maurer has always maintained a particularly close relationship with authoritarian China It can be assumed that he will still need this close relationship with China after his resignation to pursue economic interests. That is of course very problematic.”

“A former Federal Councilor has a great deal of knowledge and a network. To some extent this is an abuse of this knowledge and network, because it ultimately belongs to Switzerland – and such behavior by a former federal councilor could also harm Switzerland. Because it can be misused for propaganda purposes. That is exactly what the Chinese embassy has done now,” adds Molina.

This is what Molina argues against the motion’s opponents

FDP National Council Hans-Peter Portmann said during the discussion in the Grand Chamber that Catalonia had also asked Switzerland for close political cooperation. But Switzerland would have rejected this. Portmann concludes: “Catalonia is not a sovereign state, just as Taiwan is not. We cannot misuse this advice here for something behind which – I believe – there is somewhere an ideological attitude, an attitude of those who tabled this motion and for whom many – unfortunately many – have been trapped here.”

Molina says of this accusation to Watson: “This is a completely different matter. Catalonia is legally and de facto part of Spanish territory. It is also clear that this is an internal matter for Spain. Taiwan, on the other hand, was still a member of the Security Council when the UN was founded and was therefore recognized as a state. Under international law, Taiwan’s status is unclear and has yet to be clarified.”

Molina also rejects charges that the motion contradicts the One China policy. He explains: “The official position of Switzerland is clear: the status of Taiwan and all existing differences between Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China must be resolved peacefully in a political process. The National Council assumes its responsibility for foreign policy and conducts a dialogue with the Taiwanese parliament – there is absolutely nothing to argue against. And that doesn’t go against Beijing’s one-China doctrine either.”

SVP faction leader Thomas Aeschi shared the same view as Portmann, saying no new tasks could be assigned to the National Council office. At the end of his statements, he stated: “I would ask you to leave foreign policy primarily to the Bundesrat and therefore to reject this motion.”

Watson asked Molina whether foreign policy is actually the job of the Bundesrat. He replies: “That is not true. Foreign policy is a shared responsibility of the Bundesrat and Parliament. Of course, the Bundesrat has the task of exercising the executive function, but Parliament determines the strategy. We have now decided that the National Council as an institution will establish relations with the Taiwanese Parliament.”

Despite the excitement, Molina remains optimistic: “We must remain calm and confidently pursue an effective foreign policy. This means that we – in accordance with Article 54 of our Federal Constitution – promote peace and democracy in the world. But that also means that we support the democracies, especially in this geopolitically very difficult situation. »