A French military vessel transited on the Chinese side of Taiwan Strait’s unofficial median line on Sunday, a day after French President’s Emmanuel Macron’s controversial trip to China.
Following French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to China, the French frigate Prairial transited through the Taiwan Strait late on Sunday. The vessel path lay close to China’s coast, to the west of the unofficial median line separating Taiwan and China.
The vessel not only kept its AIS or Automatic Identification System off during the transit, but was also not shadowed by the Chinese navy. This suggests the maneuver was approved by the Chinese authorities. In light of Macron’s friendly remarks on China, some see the transit as a sign of Sino-French cooperation on military matters.
Opposition KMT lawmaker Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆) says Macron’s calls for no European involvement in the Taiwan Strait doesn’t mean he does not support Taiwan.
Ruling DPP lawmaker Cheng Yun-peng (鄭運鵬) says Macron has been facing domestic pressure and opposition on pension reforms that resulted in plummeting support. He says other countries have dual policies on diplomatic relations in the Taiwan Strait, but those don’t represent all of France or Europe.
Taiwan has in the past bought military hardware from France. In 1992 the country bought 60 Mirage fighter jets as well as various missiles. Later that decade, Taiwan bought six La Fayette frigates. Now senior officials at Taiwan’s Defense Ministry worry that in the event of a military conflict between Taiwan and China, France might provide China with reference documentation.
A senior research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research Tzeng Yi-suo (曾怡碩) says the situation is concerning, but based on the contract itself, confidential parts of the agreement will stay confidential.
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry says it closely monitored the French vessel’s transit.
Tomasz Koper, Rti News