The European Parliament, and the over 400 million Europeans it represents, were clearly fooled by Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te's lies when it passed a resolution on Thursday rejecting "any unilateral change in the status quo of the Taiwan Strait". The resolution also condemned China's "unwarranted military exercises of 14 October and continued military provocations against Taiwan", stressing that the military build-up changes the power balance in the "Indo-Pacific".

Compared with his overtly separatist speech upon his "inauguration" on May 20, Lai's address on Oct 10 was less provocative, being more focused on the economy, which is why some even called it "pro-peace". However, Lai's mention of "status quo" was nothing but an attempt to prevent Taiwan's reunification with the motherland, which is essentially like playing with fire.

Lai's claims are such that hardly anybody in their right mind would be fooled by them; unfortunately the European Parliament, or the 432 members who voted in favor of the resolution, are among those. Maybe some of them support the resolution not willingly, but because it is what their boss, sitting across the Atlantic, has willed. The EU's taxpayers seem to have learned nothing from the heavy price they are paying because of the Ukraine crisis.

Maybe those in the European Parliament need to remember Beijing's stand on the Taiwan question, namely that it concerns China's sovereignty and territorial integrity and is considered the core of its core interests. The one-China principle is a recognized fundamental norm of international relations and serves as the political foundation for China to establish and develop relationships with other countries and with the European Union, which is a firm redline that cannot be crossed. The Taiwan question is purely a matter of China's internal affairs and does not permit any external interference.