On a quiet visit to Europe last week, Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu met several politicians on the continent to discuss China’s recent attempts to intimidate and coerce his government. In April, China had gone so far as to simulate encirclement of the self-governing island.
But the flow of information during Wu’s visit was also intended to flow in the other direction. He was in Europe take stock of how the mood toward China had changed on the continent since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and how that might affect Europe’s Taiwan policy. But compared with the message Wu delivered, the one he received was probably far less clear.