President Ma Ying-jeou met on the morning of July 31 with a delegation led by the French National Assembly's France-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group Chairman Francois Brottes and Mrs. Brottes. In addition to welcoming the group to Taiwan, the president expressed hope that Taiwan and France can sign a youth working holiday agreement to promote interaction among youth.
In remarks, President Ma noted that members of the visiting delegation were influential members of the French National Assembly's France-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group and the National Assembly's Economic Affairs Committee. The president pointed out that this was the fourth visit to the ROC by Chairman Brottes, and thanked him for his contributions to bilateral relations. President Ma remarked that the ROC's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on July 30 specially conferred the Friendship Medal of Diplomacy to Chairman Brottes, adding that this honor was well deserved.
Commenting on cooperative relations between Taiwan and France, President Ma said that strengthening ties with France has consistently been an important policy objective. In particular, the president mentioned, France was Taiwan's fourth largest trading partner in Europe last year, with bilateral trade coming to over US$4.1 billion. President Ma expressed hope that Taiwan and the European Union (EU) can sign an economic and trade cooperation agreement and a bilateral investment agreement, which would further strengthen Taiwan's cooperative economic and trade ties with France and the EU.
In the area of culture and education, President Ma noted, Taiwan and France have signed over 200 cooperative agreements involving institutions of higher education. In addition, each year about 50 French films are screened in Taiwan, he said. Moreover, the president noted, currently Taiwan has already signed youth working holiday agreements with five nations in the Asia-Pacific region and six countries in Europe—Germany, the UK, Ireland, Belgium, Hungary, and Slovakia—and he said he hopes that Taiwan and France can sign a similar agreement in order to promote interaction among youth.
The president then discussed bilateral cooperation in the area of technology. He mentioned that the United States and France are Taiwan's foremost cooperative partners in technology in North America and Europe. He said that in July of this year, students from Taiwan's National Chiao Tung University took part in the Solar Decathlon Europe 2014 that was held in France, and that the team won first place in the "Urban Design Transportation and Affordability Awards" for its "Orchid House." Furthermore, Taiwan's Cabinet-level National Development Council has been invited by the French Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy to visit France in September to examine the urban infrastructure related to a green economy and sustainable cities, he remarked. President Ma said he was confident that this would boost cooperative ties in the areas of green energy and sustainable development.
The president also reiterated his deepest sympathies for the two female French medical students from Universite Catholique de Lille who were killed the week before un the TransAsia Airways crash in the Penghu Islands. President Ma stressed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of the Interior, and the Civil Aeronautics Administration under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications were doing everything they could to assist the families of victims with all necessary arrangements.
The president then mentioned that upon taking office six years ago he began working to improve cross-strait relations. Over this period, the two sides have held 10 rounds of negotiations and signed 21 agreements.
President Ma emphasized that the improvement in cross-strait relations has helped to further expand room for Taiwan to participate in the international community. For example, Taiwan and Japan in 2011 signed the Taiwan-Japan Bilateral Investment Arrangement, and in July and November 2013 Taiwan signed the ANZTEC economic cooperation agreement with New Zealand and the ASTEP economic partnership agreement with Singapore, respectively, he said. The president commented that since the ANZTEC took effect, trade between Taiwan and New Zealand has risen by 30%.
Lastly, President Ma reiterated his gratitude to the European Parliament for passing a number of resolutions supporting Taiwan's participation in international organizations and activities, including the World Health Assembly, the International Civil Aviation Organization, and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The president ended his remarks by wishing the visitors a pleasant time during the remainder of their stay in Taiwan.
Also in the delegation were National Assembly members Denis Jacquat, Damien Abad, Marie-Noelle Battistel, and Jeanine Dubie.