The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday thanked French lawmakers for sending a letter to the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China to voice support for Taiwan.
French newspaper Le Monde published the letter signed by French Senator Olivier Cadic and a group of cross-party lawmakers on Tuesday, a day before French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Beijing for an official visit.
“The time is not for weakness or silence” given Chinese interference in Hong Kong and its ambitions over Taiwan, the letter says, urging Macron to send a firm message to Beijing during his trip.
Photo: Lu Yi-hsuan, Taipei Times
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) intention to unite with Taiwan, which is manifested by increased intimidation of all kinds, is of growing concern, it says.
“It now seems obvious that Xi’s China has, in all areas, decided to accelerate history,” it says.
China has tightened its control over Hong Kong in the past three years in defiance of the Sino-British Joint Declaration, which exemplifies its desire to expand its clout, the letter says.
Hong Kong’s National Security Law, which came into force in June 2020, curtails people’s freedoms and renders the Hong Kong administration a puppet government that is subservient to Beijing, it says.
The UN Human Rights Committee last year recommended the immediate repeal of the law, as it violates civil and political rights, the letter says, adding that the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights last month also found that the law violated the rights of journalists and academics.
“What is currently happening in Hong Kong could happen again tomorrow in Taiwan if the international community does not react preventively,” the lawmakers said in the letter.
They called on the West to denounce human rights violations in Hong Kong to support the victims and “let Beijing know that its unacceptable behavior in Hong Kong will not be accepted in Taiwan,” adding that the gesture is “crucial and imperative.”
OPPORTUNITY
Macron and Von der Leyen’s visit presents a good opportunity to issue a warning against Beijing and to affirm unfailing solidarity with Taiwan, the letter says.
The ministry thanked the lawmakers for their concern for security in the Taiwan Strait, adding that Taiwan would continue to work with France and other like-minded countries to maintain a peaceful and open Indo-Pacific region, as well as safeguard democracy and freedom.
The French parliament has been taking concrete actions to support Taiwan, the ministry said, citing two pro-Taiwan resolutions passed by the French Senate and the French National Assembly in May 2021 and November 2021 respectively.
Delegations from the French parliament have visited Taiwan four times since October 2021, it said.
DAREDEVIL: Honnold said it had always been a dream of his to climb Taipei 101, while a Netflix producer said the skyscraper was ‘a real icon of this country’ US climber Alex Honnold yesterday took on Taiwan’s tallest building, becoming the first person to scale Taipei 101 without a rope, harness or safety net. Hundreds of spectators gathered at the base of the 101-story skyscraper to watch Honnold, 40, embark on his daredevil feat, which was also broadcast live on Netflix. Dressed in a red T-shirt and yellow custom-made climbing shoes, Honnold swiftly moved up the southeast face of the glass and steel building. At one point, he stepped onto a platform midway up to wave down at fans and onlookers who were taking photos. People watching from inside
A Vietnamese migrant worker yesterday won NT$12 million (US$379,627) on a Lunar New Year scratch card in Kaohsiung as part of Taiwan Lottery Co’s (台灣彩券) “NT$12 Million Grand Fortune” (1200萬大吉利) game. The man was the first top-prize winner of the new game launched on Jan. 6 to mark the Lunar New Year. Three Vietnamese migrant workers visited a Taiwan Lottery shop on Xinyue Street in Kaohsiung’s Gangshan District (崗山), a store representative said. The player bought multiple tickets and, after winning nothing, held the final lottery ticket in one hand and rubbed the store’s statue of the Maitreya Buddha’s belly with the other,
‘NATO-PLUS’: ‘Our strategic partners in the Indo-Pacific are facing increasing aggression by the Chinese Communist Party,’ US Representative Rob Wittman said The US House of Representatives on Monday released its version of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, which includes US$1.15 billion to support security cooperation with Taiwan. The omnibus act, covering US$1.2 trillion of spending, allocates US$1 billion for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative, as well as US$150 million for the replacement of defense articles and reimbursement of defense services provided to Taiwan. The fund allocations were based on the US National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2026 that was passed by the US Congress last month and authorized up to US$1 billion to the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency in support of the
‘COMMITTED TO DETERRENCE’: Washington would stand by its allies, but it can only help as much as countries help themselves, Raymond Greene said The US is committed to deterrence in the first island chain, but it should not bear the burden alone, as “freedom is not free,” American Institute in Taiwan Director Raymond Greene said in a speech at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research’s “Strengthening Resilience: Defense as the Engine of Development” seminar in Taipei yesterday. In the speech, titled “Investing Together and a Secure and Prosperous Future,” Greene highlighted the contributions of US President Donald Trump’s administration to Taiwan’s defense efforts, including the establishment of supply chains for drones and autonomous systems, offers of security assistance and the expansion of
RSS