Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) yesterday expressed gratitude to France for stating its commitment to preserving peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, and opposing any unilateral change to the “status quo” in France’s Indo-Pacific Strategy report released on Friday.
In the first section, titled “a space traversed by strategic challenges that are gaining in intensity,” the French government’s strategy report said that “China’s growing assertiveness in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Seas” is undermining security throughout the Indo-Pacific region.
The risk of an open crisis, with major consequences for the region, Europe, France and particularly its overseas territories, continues to grow, and “a high-intensity conflict in the Taiwan Strait would have major effects, both in terms of global economic repercussions and the risk of geographic spread,” it said.
Photo: Taipei Times
France “expresses its commitment to preserving peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. It opposes any unilateral change to the ‘status quo,’ including through the use or threat of force or coercion, and calls for the peaceful resolution of disputes,” the report said in its second section.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said France’s previous report released in 2022 only mentioned its concern for heightened tensions in the Taiwan Strait, but this year’s updated version further included its stance of preserving peace and stability in the strait and opposition to any unilateral change to the “status quo.”
Lin highly welcomes and thanks France for the statement, it said.
The statement comes shortly after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron pledged their commitment to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait in a joint declaration after the 37th UK-France Summit in London on July 10.
“They fully demonstrate that maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait has become a consensus and common interest of the global society,” the ministry said.
Upholding the concept of integrated diplomacy, Taiwan would continue to deepen collaboration with France and other democratic partners, and together defend freedom, democracy, and peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, it said.
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