for the EU to diversify its suppliers of critical raw materials to ensure resilient supply chains; in this regard, welcome the signing between the EU and Australia of the Strategic Partnership on sustainable critical and strategic minerals; stress the need for the EU to invest in the R&D and innovation ecosystem to avoid technological dependency; (r) recognise the strategic importance of enhancing EU-India relations to counterbalance China’s regional ambitions; consider India a key partner and ask India to take up its responsibility, also towards Russia, in consolidating the global security architecture rooted in the full respect of international norms and principles; (s) further highlight the positive effect and strategic importance of deepening ties between the EU and Taiwan, which is a valuable partner in trade and technology; in this regard, coordinate with the EU's global partners; (t) appoint an EU Special Envoy for the Korean Peninsula to closely monitor the situation and to coordinate the necessary measures with the international community, including engaging with China to confirm its opposition to the North Korean nuclear programme and use its influence to stop it; (u) strengthen EU engagement in the Western Balkans to counter growing Chinese economic influence, particularly through the infrastructure investments and preferential loans China has provided that have created dependencies in some of these countries; (v) recognise the strategic importance of the Arctic and the High North for European and transatlantic security; ensure that EU policy on China must reflect the strategic vulnerabilities in this region, and include robust monitoring of Chinese scientific, economic and infrastructural activities in the Arctic, especially their dual-use nature and their interaction with Russian military presence in the region; (w) further develop the Global Gateway in order to offer a model of trusted connectivity that is based on equality, sustainability and transparency, providing a credible alternative to the Belt and Road Initiative fully based on sustainable development, while fully respecting international and EU norms and standards, including the Paris Agreement, the Kunming-Montreal Biodiversity Framework, and International Labour Organization (ILO) core conventions; (x) recognise that the EU has to be more efficient in its Global Gateway projects and that this is possible without compromising EU norms and standards regarding transparency, environmental sustainability, labour rights and economic viability; insist that Global Gateway projects should support fair, mutually beneficial, climate-resilient and transparent development partnerships with countries that align themselves with the EU rather than with China or other authoritarian powers; recognise that Africa is a priority partner for the Global Gateway in this effort and enhance the EU’s overall engagement with the continent, while also acknowledging Latin America as a priority partner; (y) counter China’s expanding political and economic footprint by offering a better alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative through the Global Gateway and