A French delegation met with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Friday at Taiwan’s Presidential Office. The meeting with Tsai topped off a five-day visit headed by Senate vice-president and chair of its Taiwan Friendship Group Alain Richard. It is the second French delegation to visit Taiwan in the past two weeks, and comes after controversial comments made by French President Macron earlier this month.
Richard says the purpose of the trip is to showcase France’s firm support for Taiwan and acknowledge its contributions to freedom and democracy. He also says the French parliament is paying close attention to the security of Taiwan. He added that the recent passage of a French warship through the Taiwan Strait is a demonstration of the French government’s commitment to maintaining peace in the region.
In a speech, Tsai thanked Richard and the delegation for their contribution to strengthen Taiwan-France relations. She says the ties between Taiwan and France have become warmer in recent years. This is the fourth time Richard has led a delegation to Taiwan, and the second time the Senate has organized an official delegation to Taiwan since 2021.
Tsai says Taiwan and France share the values of democracy and freedom, and the two countries are important economic and trade partners. She says she hopes to see more collaborations in the future. Tsai also expresses gratitude to France and other G7 nations for their joint statement reaffirming the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and supporting Taiwan's international engagement.