Visiting French lawmaker meets VP Lai, relays Macron message
ROC Central News Agency
04/18/2023 04:25 PM
Taipei, April 18 (CNA) A delegation from the French National Assembly met with Vice President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) in Taipei on Tuesday and brought with it a message from French President Emmanuel Macron reaffirming support for the status quo in the Taiwan Strait.
Eric Bothorel, who led the four-member delegation to Taiwan, told Lai at the Presidential Office that he had been entrusted by Macron to deliver a "special" message to "renew his friendship with Taiwanese people."
Macron wishes to reaffirm France's support for the status quo in the Taiwan Strait while expressing that "[Paris'] will to cooperate with Taiwan is intact," according to Bothorel, who chairs the France-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group.
Bothorel is a member of the Renaissance party founded by Macron, and he said the French president was aware of his meeting with Lai in Taipei on Tuesday.
Macron recently faced backlash after suggesting in an interview during his China trip in early April that Europe should avoid being dragged into a crisis between the United States and China over Taiwan.
His comments were seen by critics as being too accommodating of China at a time when Beijing has ramped up military pressure on Taiwan, including conducting three days of military drills around Taiwan in the wake of a meeting between President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California.
Last week, Macron told a press conference in the Netherlands that France's position on Taiwan is "the same."
"We are for the status quo, and this policy is constant," he said. "It hasn't changed. It's the policy of one China and the peaceful settlement of the question."
During Tuesday's meeting, Bothorel also underlined the importance of preserving Taiwan's democracy and strengthening cooperation between Taiwan and France.
In his remarks, Lai expressed hope that France will provide more support for the stability of the Taiwan Strait in the future, noting that the challenges of authoritarianism are not only affecting Taiwan and the U.S., but also the entire world.
The stability of the Taiwan Strait is crucial to the peace of the Indo-Pacific region and the sustainable development of the world, Lai said.
The vice president also proposed that Taiwan and France "achieve a security alliance through economic cooperation" and that the two negotiate a free trade agreement.
If Taiwan and France establish close economic cooperation and build mutual trust, they will be more capable of dealing with security and other challenges, Lai added.
The visiting delegation, which arrived in Taiwan on Monday for a four-day visit, also includes French lawmakers Mireille Clapot, Michel Herbillon, and Constance Le Grip.
The group has met with several senior Taiwanese officials since arriving in Taipei, including Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chiu Tai-san (邱太三) and Minister of Digital Affairs Audrey Tang (唐鳳).
(By Wen Kuei-hsiang and Teng Pei-ju)
Enditem/AW
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