The Legislative Yuan yesterday established the Taiwan-France Parliamentary Friendship Group to improve bilateral relations with France.
During a ceremony at the Legislative Yuan, Francois Brottes, chairman of the France-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group in France, said the establishment of the Taiwan-based group would help promote exchanges and understanding in a spirit of cordiality.
He said the French body noted the changes in the relations between Taiwan and China with interest, especially in the context of the current economic crisis.
“We follow with interest the evolution of new dialogues between the two sides [of the Taiwan Strait] in the region,” he said. “The warming relationship with the continent [China] seems to be, for us, a new perspective for [the] future.”
On the issue of public health, he said members of his group would listen to Taiwan’s views and make sure that the nation’s wish to participate in the World Health Assembly would be heard.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Yang Li-huan (楊麗環), who studied in Grenoble, France, was named chairwoman of the Taiwanese friendship group.
Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) said he expected the group to further promote the already substantial relations between Taiwan and France.
France is an important partner for Taiwan in the areas of commerce, tourism, culture and technology, he said.
The inauguration was attended by officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, several legislators and representatives of the French Institute in Taipei, including director, Patrick Bonneville.
The friendship group is comprised of 57 Taiwanese legislators — about half the lawmakers in the Legislative Yuan — and 33 members of the French parliament.
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
SECURITY: Starlink owner Elon Musk has taken pro-Beijing positions, and allowing pro-China companies to control Taiwan’s critical infrastructure is risky, a legislator said Starlink was reluctant to offer services in Taiwan because of the nation’s extremely high penetration rates in 4G and 5G services, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said yesterday. The ministry made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, which reviewed amendments to Article 36 of the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法). Article 36 bans foreigners from holding more than 49 percent of shares in public telecommunications networks, while shares foreigners directly and indirectly hold are also capped at 60 percent of the total, unless specified otherwise by law. The amendments, sponsored by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko
RSS