President Ma Ying-jeou met with André Dulait, Vice President of the French Senate's ruling party caucus, on the afternoon of December 16 at the Presidential Office. The president, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC (Taiwan), expressed a warm welcome and appreciation to Mr. Dulait and the delegation accompanying him on their trip to Taiwan.
The president said that Mr. Dulait previously served as the chairman of the French Senate Commission for Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Armed Forces. While Mr. Dulait is well-versed in international affairs, other members accompanying Mr. Dulait are involved in the media, or serve as strategic or political consultants. The president said forming this delegation to visit Taiwan demonstrates to us that the French Senate places importance on the ROC (Taiwan).
President Ma commented that the ROC (Taiwan) and France have not had formal diplomatic relations since 1964. However, ties between the two have developed rapidly in recent years, with bilateral trade reaching nearly 4 billion euro. In addition, the two countries have signed dozens of cooperative agreements in the areas of culture and technology. Cultural and technology awards have been established to provide incentives to researchers and artists from both sides. These various developments exhibit the broad and deep cultural and economic relationship the two nations maintain, he said.
President Ma also remarked that over the past decade-plus period, relations between the ROC (Taiwan) and France have progressed steadily. Over 10 years ago, France sold the ROC (Taiwan) Mirage jet fighters. Officials between the two countries enjoy unimpeded avenues of communication, he said. At the same time, France has expressed support for Taiwan's participation in activities held by United Nations-affiliated organizations, including the World Health Organization. On behalf of the government and people of the ROC (Taiwan), President Ma expressed his appreciation to the French government for its many years of assistance in this regard.
The president told the visitors that after assuming office last year, he immediately began efforts to improve relations between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, and cross-strait relations are now steadily moving forward along the road toward peace and prosperity. At the same time, relations between the ROC (Taiwan) and the United States, Japan, and the European Union have also strengthened. The president said that it is his understanding that the EU is currently considering extending visa-free courtesies to tourists from Taiwan. He said he hopes that this measure can be implemented next year. President Ma pointed to the examples of the UK and Ireland waiving visas for visitors from Taiwan, saying that as a result the number of people from Taiwan visiting those countries has risen dramatically. These moves are extremely beneficial to enhancing relations between the two sides and boosting understanding, he said.
President Ma said that the policies of strengthening cross-strait relations and pursuing peace in the Taiwan Strait have yielded a win-win situation for the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. He expressed his hopes that relations between the ROC (Taiwan) and France will continue to move forward in the future. Presently, the two sides have entered into 55 technology cooperation projects and over 150 education cooperation projects, and there is room for collaboration in these fields to continue to grow, he said.
The guests expressed their appreciation to President Ma for taking time out of his busy schedule to meet with them. They said that they have come away from this visit with a deep sense of the economic power of Taiwan, as well as the critical role that Taiwan plays in the Asia-Pacific region – an importance that cannot be overlooked. They echoed President Ma's sentiments that cultural and economic interaction between the two nations is quite close, and they expressed their desire for the further development of friendly bilateral relations in the future.