The French Senate on Thursday adopted a resolution in support of Taiwan’s participation in international organizations, including the WHO.
The resolution, put forth on March 27 by the Senate’s Taiwan Friendship Group, was passed with a vote of 304-0, with 19 abstentions.
French Senator Alain Richard, who is chairman of the group, said during a presentation of the proposal that Taiwan’s bid to participate in the WHO should be supported because of its outstanding efforts against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Photo: CNA
Taiwan should also be supported in its bid to participate in other international organizations and treaties, such as the International Criminal Police Organization, the International Civil Aviation Organization and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, he added.
During a 30-minute debate on the resolution, representatives of nine political caucuses expressed their opinions, while one abstained, citing its foreign relations stance.
Commenting on the senate’s passage of the resolution, Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, secretary of state at the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, said the government supports Taiwan’s participation in international organizations.
Peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is important to the world, he said.
French Senator Andre Gattolin, who is vice chairman of the French Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defense and Armed Forces, said the vote on the resolution indicated bipartisan support for Taiwan.
French Senator Joelle Garriaud-Maylam said the resolution signals to Beijing that Taiwan is not alone and has the support of many Western countries.
The resolution was passed ahead of the 74th annual meeting of the World Health Assembly, the decisionmaking body of the WHO, which is scheduled to be held virtually from May 24 to June 1.
Representative to France Francois Wu (吳志中) in a Facebook post yesterday called the vote “a historic moment.”
Presidential Office spokesman Xavier Chang (張惇涵) said in a statement yesterday that it was the first time the French Senate passed such a resolution backing Taiwan’s international participation.
After G7 foreign ministers on Wednesday issued a joint communique to support Taiwan’s WHO participation, the similar move by the French Senate demonstrates Taiwan’s success in combating the COVID-19 pandemic through its democratic system, Chang said.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) thanked Richard and other senators, as well as the French government, for their support of Taiwan’s international participation, he said, adding that Taiwan would continue to deepen relations with France and other like-minded countries, and would not end its positive contributions to international society.
When many countries are affected by a second wave of COVID-19, Taiwan’s inclusion in the global health system is necessary and welcomed by Taiwanese, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) deputy director of international affairs Ho Chih-yung (何志勇) said.
Additional reporting by Lin Chia-nan
SOLIDARITY: A group of European lawmakers condemned China’s aggressive moves, while the foreign minister of Lithuania said Taiwan ‘cannot become a second Ukraine’ A German parliamentary delegation would visit Taiwan in the first week of October, German lawmaker Holger Becker on Monday told visiting Democratic Progressive Party legislators Fan Yun (范雲) and Lin I-chin (林宜瑾) at the Bundestag in Berlin. Asked by Fan whether he is worried about possible reprisals from Beijing, such as banning him and his family from entering China, Becker said he is more interested in visiting Taiwan, as “now is the time for democracies to stand together.” Fan and Lin also met with German officials to exchange views on digital education and governance. Investing in digital infrastructure and protecting equal rights to
As China waged extensive military exercises off Taiwan, a group of US defense experts in Washington was focused on their own simulation of an eventual — but for now entirely hypothetical — US-China war over the nation. The unofficial what-if game is being conducted on the fifth floor of an office building not far from the White House, and it posits a US military response to a Chinese invasion in 2026. Even though the participants bring a US perspective, they are finding that a US-Taiwan victory, if there is one, could come at a huge cost. “The results are showing that under
‘SIMULATED ATTACKS’: Ten warships each from China and Taiwan were maneuvering at close quarters in the Taiwan Strait, with some Chinese vessels crossing the median line Taiwan yesterday reiterated that it would not succumb to pressure from Beijing after China carried out its most provocative military drills in decades in retaliation for US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan last week. “We will never bow to pressure. We uphold freedom and democracy, and believe Taiwanese disapprove [of] China’s bullying actions with force and saber rattling at our door,” Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said yesterday. China had “arrogantly” disrupted regional peace and stability, he said, calling on Beijing to not flex its military muscles. President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has also called on the international community to “support
DRILLS CONTINUE: China’s creation of a restricted zone across the median line of the Taiwan Strait challenges a 70-year-old fact, a ministry of defense official said The nation’s military fully complies with international rules and guidelines when responding to Chinese military drills, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday, vowing to continue defending Taiwan in accordance with international law. China on Thursday launched four days of military drills around Taiwan proper in response to US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei. The drills were expected to end on Sunday, but neither Beijing nor Taipei confirmed their conclusion, although the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said it had seen some evidence suggesting at least a partial drawdown. However, China yesterday said the drills would continue, saying “the
RSS