President Tsai meets Alain Richard, Chairman of French Senate's Taiwan Friendship Group
During a meeting on the afternoon of April 30 with a delegation led by Senator Alain Richard, Chairman of the French Senate's Taiwan Friendship Group, President Tsai Ing-wen said her government intends to enhance bilateral exchanges in high-tech and innovative industries, and hopes for more opportunities for future cooperation.
In remarks, President Tsai first welcomed Chairman Richard and the other delegation members to Taiwan. Noting that this was Chairman Richard's second visit to Taiwan, the president expressed confidence that he will get a sense that Taiwan has become more lively, more diverse, and more prosperous since he was last here.
Noting that Taiwan and France have a shared commitment to the universal values of democracy and human rights, President Tsai said she heard that Chairman Richard wanted to know more about the 228 Incident of 1947, which has had such a big political and social impact in Taiwan. The president then mentioned that Taiwan's government is pursuing transitional justice, and drawing from relevant experiences in the international community, established a transitional justice promotion committee. She expressed confidence that Chairman Richard will get a sense during his visit that the people of Taiwan are deeply committed to democracy, freedom, and human rights.
The president emphasized that France is one of Taiwan's important European trading partners. Over the past year, economic and trade ties between Taiwan and France have continued to grow, with two-way trade in 2017 up by about 20% compared with 2016. Commenting on Taiwan's technology cooperation with European countries, she said that France is the number one European destination for Taiwanese investments.
President Tsai noted that France is now pushing an "Industry of the Future" initiative, which has a lot in common with Taiwan's "5+2 industrial innovation program" and the Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program. So Taiwan and France will surely have more opportunities for cooperation in the future, she said.
The president mentioned that Taiwan is intent on signing an investment agreement with the European Union to continue enhancing bilateral exchanges in the high-tech and innovative industries so that both sides can set up a better cooperation framework.
President Tsai pointed out that Taiwan and France have had a robust partnership for many years, and that both countries are actively concerned about important global issues. She also expressed hope that Chairman Richard and the other delegation members will continue to support Taiwan's participation in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the World Health Organization so that Taiwan can contribute to the international community.
Turning to Chairman Richard's plan to visit Hualien County during this trip, President Tsai stated that she recently made several trips there after the area was hit by an earthquake. The purpose of those trips, she said, besides showing concern for the victims and overseeing reconstruction efforts, was to help revitalize tourism in that area. The president said she was happy to know that she and Chairman Richard had the same idea, and expressed confidence that during their visit, the delegation members would see the resilient vitality of the Taiwanese people.
Also in the delegation were the French Senate's Taiwan Friendship Group Vice Chairman Joel Guerriau, and Director Benoit Guidee of the French Office in Taipei.