Two French parliamentary delegations are set to visit Taiwan in the coming days amid rising tensions across the Taiwan Strait, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
A four-member delegation from the French National Assembly is scheduled to arrive Taiwan today to enhance cooperation between the two countries and show support for Taiwan’s democracy and stability across the Strait, delegation members said.
The second group, comprising French Senator Alain Richard, who chairs the French Senate’s Taiwan Friendship Group, and four fellow senators, is to arrive in Taiwan on Monday next week, the ministry said.
Photo courtesy of Eric Bothorel via CNA
The visits come amid warming ties between the two countries, despite French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent comments that Europe must avoid being drawn into any conflict over Taiwan between the US and China.
Europe should ensure that it is not forced to adapt to Washington’s pace and Beijing’s overreaction, Macron said, after concluding a three-day visit to China on April 8.
Separately, a Taiwanese delegation of 16 cross-party legislators arrived in France on Friday for meetings with French lawmakers.
French lawmaker Eric Bothorel, who heads the French National Assembly delegation, said on the sidelines of a meeting with the Taiwanese delegation that his group’s trip to Taiwan seeks to bolster organization-to-organization exchanges and trade relations between the two countries.
While semiconductors would be on the agenda during the visit, culture and talent cultivation would also be focus areas of collaboration between France and Taiwan, he said.
French lawmaker Constance Le Grip, who is to visit Taiwan for the first time as part of Bothorel’s delegation, said she hopes to learn as much as possible about Taiwan in the fields of economy and politics, including geopolitics, cross-strait affairs and next year’s presidential election.
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