French lawmakers are planning a visit to Taipei amid increasing tensions with China, according to Taiwan’s foreign minister.
(Bloomberg) — French lawmakers are planning a visit to Taipei amid increasing tensions with China, according to Taiwan’s foreign minister.
Joseph Wu said in an interview Monday that France’s Senate and National Assembly have shown their backing for his Taiwan and that some lawmakers will visit “very soon.” Taiwan’s government will “check with them to see what kind of additional support we would need,” Wu said.
Lawmaker Alain Richard as well as four other Senators will meet Taiwan’s “highest authorities” as well as the “three main political parties,” in a visit that will take place the week of April 24, a press representative for the French Senate said by email Monday. Semi-conductors will be on the agenda during the visit, he added.
Another delegation of French lawmakers is heading to the island this Sunday, according to one French official who will be part of the group.
Press officers at the French National Assembly didn’t immediately reply when asked to comment on the plan Monday, a public bank holiday.
Beijing said today it has ended three days of military exercises around Taiwan following a visit by the Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen to the US last week. China has pledged to bring Taiwan under its control someday, by force if necessary, while Tsai’s Democratic Progressive Party asserts Taiwan is an independent nation.
The visit would come after French President Emmanuel Macron said in an interview with Les Echos and Politico published Sunday that Europe should avoid getting dragged into any potential confrontation between the US and China over Taiwan.
“The worse thing would be to think that we Europeans must become followers on this topic and take our cue from the US agenda and a Chinese overreaction,” Macron said.
Macron last week visited Beijing and set out a more conciliatory line on relations with China than the US has advocated. French lawmakers also visited visited Taiwan in 2021.
“The French government has been very vocal in supporting peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. And they also oppose any unilateral change of status quo,” Wu added. “The French government has also been conducting freedom of navigation operations in this part of the world. So all these kinds of actions actually are being supported by Taiwan or appreciated by Taiwan.”
The senators will also meet with members of the French community in Taipei and they will visit the international French school known as “lycee,” the representative added.
–With assistance from Debby Wu.
(Updates with comments from French Senate press office in third and 11th paragraphs)
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
©2023 Bloomberg L.P.