Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

EU intelligence chief cancels Taiwan trip after Beijing learns his secret plans

EU intelligence chief cancels Taiwan trip after Beijing learns his secret plans

Questions are being raised about how a high-level EU official’s travel plan was leaked to China.

The European Union’s top intelligence official canceled a trip to Taiwan after his top-secret preparations were seemingly leaked to Beijing in advance, according to two diplomats with knowledge of the situation.

José Casimiro Morgado, director of the European Union Intelligence and Situation Centre, was supposed to make the below-the-radar visit to meet Taiwanese officials in October, according to the diplomats.

However, the EU spy chief’s plan came to a halt after Beijing got hold of the information and put pressure on the EU to scrap what would have been an unusually sensitive visit amid China’s escalating military threats on Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of its own territory.

The development calls into question whether a human or data leak from the EU was involved, with diplomats also concerned about the EU’s change of plans after Beijing’s intervention.

After the initial publication of this article, an EU official briefed on the matter contradicted the understanding in Taipei that Morgado was planning a visit. He said Morgado had simply planned to hold meetings by phone with Taiwanese officials, but had decided to cancel even this long-distance communication because of the Chinese reaction to last month’s visit to Taipei by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

An EU spokesman said: “As a general rule, we never comment on everyday working activities of the European External Action Service staff in public.” He would not say whether there’s an investigation into possible external leaks about Morgado’s travel plans.

The Chinese mission to the EU, when asked about Morgado’s original plan, said China “has consistently and firmly opposed any form of official exchanges between the Taiwan region and countries or organizations having diplomatic ties with China.”

The revelation also sheds further light on the quiet diplomacy between the EU and Taiwan, after last year’s covert trip to Brussels by Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu. The EU Intelligence and Situation Centre, known in the Brussels bubble as INTCEN, focuses on civilian “intelligence-based situational awareness” and forms one of two pillars of the EU’s “single intelligence analysis capacity,” alongside the military-focused Intelligence Directorate of the EU Military Staff.

A spokeswoman for the Taipei Representative Office in the EU and Belgium, Taiwan’s de facto embassy, said in a reply: “We have no further information.”

Morgado was appointed head of INTCEN in 2019, after more than 20 years working in the Portuguese intelligence service. He answers directly to Josep Borrell, head of the European External Action Service, the EU’s foreign policy arm. He could not be reached for comment.

Speaking during a session on EU-Taiwan relations in the European Parliament on Tuesday, Borrell vowed to “intensify” ties with the self-ruling democratic island, while abiding by the “one China policy.”

“Let me be clear on this: ‘One China policy’ doesn’t prevent us, the European Union, from persisting and intensifying our cooperation in Taiwan, nor from expressing our concerns at the recent rising tensions,” Borrell said.

Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu


“We have to continue engaging with Taiwan economically, and politically.”

Borrell said he had no plans to go to Taiwan, but added: “As far as I know there’s no travel … at the highest political level of the European Union — which doesn’t mean there’s no relationship.”

The EU has stepped up official exchanges with Taiwan as Beijing flexed its military muscles around the island following Pelosi’s visit in August. A Taiwanese minister attended a trade dialogue with the EU’s top trade bureaucrat in June, even though the bloc is steering clear of any formal negotiation of a bilateral investment treaty.

The European Parliament is expected to pass a motion on Thursday calling for the EU to change the name of its trade office in Taipei to “reflect the broad scope of our ties.”

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Hungary Ranked Among the World’s Safest Travel Destinations for 2025
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
Wreck of $17 Billion San José Galleon Identified Off Colombia After 300 Years
Man Convicted of Fraud After Booking Over 120 Free Flights Posing as Flight Attendant
Iran Launches Extensive Missile Attack on Israel Following Israeli Strikes on Nuclear Sites
Beata Thunberg Rebrands as Beata Ernman Amidst Sister's Activism Controversy
Hungarian Parliament Approves Citizenship Suspension Law
Prime Minister Orbán Criticizes EU's Ukraine Accession Plans
Hungarian Delicacies Introduced to Japanese Market
Hungary's Industrial Output Rises Amid Battery Sector Slump
President Sulyok Celebrates 15 Years of Hungarian Unity Efforts
×