Office of the President Republic of China(Taiwan)

On the afternoon of September 5, President Tsai Ing-wen presented Jean-Robert Pitte, perpetual secretary of the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences under the Institut de France, with the Order of Propitious Clouds with Grand Cordon, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to cultural exchange between Taiwan and France. In remarks, President Tsai stated that Perpetual Secretary Pitte has chaired the judges panel of the Taiwan-France Cultural Award since 2017, and thanked him for his efforts over this period, which has seen many outstanding award winners, and many Europeans encouraged to take up research on Taiwanese culture. The president emphasized that Taiwan and France have a shared commitment to democracy and freedom, and will continue to strengthen our cooperation in cultural exchange and in many other fields, while contributing more to world peace and prosperity as well as democracy and freedom.

A translation of the president's remarks follows:

I am delighted to welcome you to Taiwan once again at the head of a delegation. Our Minister of Culture Lee Yung-te (李永得) visited France this past June to join you in hosting the presentation ceremony at the 25th Taiwan-France Cultural Award. I am very happy to be able to host all of you academicians today in Taiwan. The Institut de France is the highest academic society in France, and the members of its five academies are known as the immortals.

When Taiwan held its first direct presidential election in 1996, China conducted missile tests in the Taiwan Strait in an attempt to intimidate Taiwan as it exercised its democracy. That was a tumultuous year for Taiwan on the international stage. It was also the year that the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences, in the spirit of resisting power with culture, supported Taiwan with concrete action by co-founding the Taiwan-France Cultural Award.

This was the first and only time that the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences established an award in collaboration with a foreign government agency. Every winner of this award has made an outstanding contribution to cultural exchange between Taiwan and France. The French anthropologist Josiane Cauquelin, for example, has spent more than 30 years researching the indigenous Pinuyumayan tribe of Taitung, helping to preserve their language. Her Nanwang Puyuma-English Dictionary is the first Pinuyumayan-English dictionary ever published, and is now an important tool for passing down the Pinuyumayan language.

With the Taiwan-France Cultural Award, we honor scholars and artists for their contributions, and we are very grateful to all those who support this award program. Perpetual Secretary Pitte, you have played a key role in this effort, chairing the judges panel of the Taiwan-France Cultural Award since 2017. Your efforts have helped bring attention to the work of many outstanding award winners, and encourage more Europeans to take up research on Taiwanese culture. With the support of academicians like yourselves, cultural exchange between Taiwan and France is growing ever closer in fields ranging from cinema and animation to technology art and the performing arts.

By conferring the Order of Propitious Clouds with Grand Cordon upon Perpetual Secretary Pitte today, we are expressing our gratitude for his longstanding efforts. With this decoration, we are also dedicating the results of Taiwan-France cultural exchange to "the immortals," to all our tireless partners, and to the people of both Taiwan and France.

This marks an important milestone for Taiwan-France relations. With the expansion of authoritarianism, I firmly believe that our two countries, which share the values of democracy and freedom, will continue to strengthen our cooperation in cultural exchange and in many other fields, while contributing more to world peace and prosperity as well as democracy and freedom.

In closing, I would like to once again thank each of our visiting academicians for supporting Taiwan. I hope we can all work together to ensure that relations between Taiwan and France will continue to grow and develop. Thank you.

Perpetual Secretary Pitte then delivered remarks. He first thanked President Tsai for conferring this great honor on him, noting that the decoration was a great personal honor, and that it also acknowledges and affirms the close cooperation between the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the Institut de France, which he represents. Perpetual Secretary Pitte said that he currently serves at the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences, one of the Institut de France's five academies, and that this academy was founded in 1795 but closed in 1803, before being reinstated in 1832. He added that his, like the other four academies, is an independent, free, and autonomous academic organization supported by the president of France.      

Perpetual Secretary Pitte noted that his predecessor as perpetual secretary from 1995 to 1998, former French Prime Minister Pierre Messmer, was a visionary who showed great courage during his tenure by establishing the academy's French-Taiwanese Cultural Foundation in 1996, over a quarter of a century ago. Former Prime Minister Messmer and former Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui also had a good relationship, and established a channel for cooperation through the Council of Cultural Affairs, now the Ministry of Culture.

Perpetual Secretary Pitte added that through this gesture, former Prime Minister Messmer clearly affirmed our commitment to the spirit of freedom, spurring us on as we provide support to our respective countries and leaders to enact reforms in government, economics, society, and international relations. He said that the joint establishment of this fund is a firm indication that both sides believe in the Republic of China's right to exist in the international arena. 

Perpetual Secretary Pitte said that in this spirit of cooperation, the former prime minister personally presided over all of the Taiwan-France Cultural Award presentation ceremonies during his tenure, as did his successors Jean Cluzel, Michel Albert, and Xavier Darcos. Perpetual Secretary Pitte also stated that two decades ago in September 2002, former Prime Minister Messmer visited Taiwan, and was received at the Presidential Office by former President Chen Shui-bian.

Perpetual Secretary Pitte mentioned that every year, the judges panel for the Taiwan-France Cultural Award includes representatives from both Taiwan's Ministry of Culture and the Institut de France, and the event is co-hosted by the Minister of Culture and the perpetual secretary of the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences, conferring the awards on outstanding cultural figures who give Europe a better understanding of Taiwan through academic research, literature, and art.  

Perpetual Secretary Pitte offered special thanks to Minister of Culture Lee, who recently visited France, and former Minister of Culture Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君), who two years ago gave a special Taiwan-France Cultural Award to all of the French-Taiwanese Cultural Foundation representatives associated with the Institut de France. He also thanked Taiwan's Representative to France Francois Chih-Chung Wu (吳志中) for connecting France and Taiwan through friendship, and mentioned representative Wu's warm personality and command of the French language that have won him the admiration of those fortunate enough to interact with him, adding that he has been well received by the French media.

Perpetual Secretary Pitte said that the French-Taiwanese Cultural Foundation will continue to advance the fundamental missions of our two countries, defending human rights and democracy and promoting scientific research as well as literature and art that is truly free.

Perpetual Secretary Pitte pointed out that they greatly admire the Taiwan model, as Taiwan facilitates dialogue between different countries, economic systems, and cultures, and has created a model of openness in Chinese culture. He then acknowledged that under the current geopolitical situation, Taiwan needs more support, and emphasized that because of Taiwan's freedom, Taiwan's creativity, and Taiwan's optimism, the world needs Taiwan even more.

Among those also in attendance at the ceremony were Members of the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences Marianne Bastid-Bruguière, Pierre Delvolvé, and Daniel Andler, and French Office in Taipei Deputy Director Cléa Le Cardeur.