Office of the President Republic of China(Taiwan)

Late on the afternoon of July 7, President Tsai Ing-wen met with a delegation led by French National Assembly Vice President Francois de Rugy. President Tsai briefed her visitors on the excellent state of relations between Taiwan and France, and called for continued deepening of the bilateral friendship to benefit the people of the two nations.

The president opened her remarks by apologizing for postponing the originally scheduled meeting with the delegation, explaining that she had to go to the Central Emergency Operations Center to oversee the government's response to a major typhoon. She then thanked the delegation for taking the time to visit the Office of the President during their stay in Taiwan, and said their visit would do much to promote bilateral relations.

Commenting on exchanges between Taiwan and France, President Tsai stated that many of the Cabinet members in her new administration have received education in France. Minister of Culture Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) and Deputy Minister of Culture Pierre Tzu-pao Yang (楊子葆), for example, have both studied in France, which shows that our government wants to draw more upon the French experience and French values in the making of important policies on culture, so as to further enrich the culture of Taiwan.

Looking to the future, President Tsai expressed hope for continued deepening of relations between Taiwan and France. She also stated that France has many advanced technologies that deserve Taiwan's attention, and that the French culture and lifestyle also offer much of value that Taiwan ought to learn about.