Old Hat, New Rhetoric: The EU's Policy toward Taiwan after the Fifth Enlargement.

On May 1, 2004, the European Union (EU) experienced the largest expansion in its history, a process that has lent new weight to the idea of expanded EU involvement in East Asia. This article examines whether there has been a change in the EU's foreign policy with respect to Taiwan since its fifth enlargement. Evidence for this is sought in the EU's policy statements on Asia and China. The political behavior of the EU has not changed, although there has been a modification in rhetoric. The EU, notwithstanding its claim to be a global actor, continues to keep out of one of the biggest conflicts in East Asia. The new members' interests in the East Asia region are too weak to alter the EU's agenda, and their economic priorities are linked to the programs of the EU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]