President Chen Shui-bian received a delegation of the French National Assembly at the Office of the President on March 30, extending to the guests his warmest welcome and deepest appreciation for France's support to Taiwan.
The president first related to the guests the long-time cooperation between the two countries. "Your (the French) government ratified to sell to Taiwan Lafayette warships and Mirage 2000 jets respectively in the years 1990 and 1992, which has fortified Taiwan's national defense to a great extent," the president told the guests.
At the same time, the trade between Taiwan and France remains stable yet growing. While Taiwan is the counterpart's sixth largest export destination and the fifth largest import source in Asia, the bilateral trade reached US$3.97 billion in the year 2005 with a trade surplus of US$1.16 billion enjoyed by France, based on which the president told the guests that he hoped future cooperation could be further strengthened.
The president also told the French guests that before the People's Republic of China improves its human rights record, gives up resorting to threats of force in the Taiwan Straits, and stops selling massive destructive weapons to third nations, the European Union countries should not lift the arms embargo ban against China.
Regarding the ceasing of the function of the National Unification Council and the application of its Guidelines, the president emphasized to the guests the universal values of democracy, freedom, human rights, and equity. "Your Fifth Republic, for example, exercised more than ten referendums; Taiwan, on the other hand, had its first Referendum Law in 2003 and practiced its first referendum in as late as 2004," the president told the guests and emphasized again that the people of the two countries should not be deprived of such universal rights as democracy, peace, and liberty.
The French delegation consisted of Deputies Michel Hunault, Löic Bouvard, and François Loncle, all of whom were accompanied by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Francisco L. Y. Hwang. Mark Chen, secretary-general of the Office of the President, also attended the meeting.