President Ma Ying-jeou says he hopes to see Taiwan and the European Union sign an economic cooperation agreement or bilateral investment agreement.
Ma was speaking Thursday during a meeting with deputies from France’s National Assembly. Ma said that similar agreements signed with Japan, New Zealand, and Singapore over the past few years have led to significant increases in trade volume with those countries.
He said that a trade or investment agreement with the EU would not only bring economic benefits to both sides, but also strengthen Taiwan’s economic relations with France.
"Last year, France was Taiwan’s fourth largest trading partner in Europe. Trade volume between the two sides exceeded US$4 billion," said Ma. "We hope that an economic cooperation agreement or bilateral investment agreement with the EU will move Taiwan’s economic relations with France forward," he said.
Ma also said that Taiwan hopes to add France to the list of six European countries that currently allow young people from Taiwan to come for a working holiday.