President Tsai meets delegation led by Vice-president of the French Senate Alain Richard
On the morning of April 28, President Tsai Ing-wen met with a delegation led by Vice-president of the French Senate Alain Richard, who also serves as chairman of the French Senate's Taiwan Friendship Group. In remarks, President Tsai stated that over the past two weeks, chairmen of the Taiwan friendship groups from both chambers of the French Parliament have visited Taiwan, setting a new record for Taiwan-France exchanges. President Tsai said that Taiwan and France share the values of democracy and freedom and are important economic and trade partners. The president expressed hope that Taiwan and France will continue to enhance bilateral relations and make even more achievements across a wide range of areas.
A translation of President Tsai's remarks follows:
I want to begin by welcoming Senate Vice-president Richard and Senator Brigitte Devésa back to Taiwan. I also want to extend a special welcome to senators Alexandra Borchio-Fontimp and Valérie Boyer, who are visiting Taiwan for the first time. I hope this visit will allow all of you to become more familiar with Taiwan.
Over the past few years, exchanges between Taiwan and France have become increasingly close. This is the fourth time that Senate Vice-president Richard has led a delegation to visit Taiwan, and it is the second time since 2021 that France has dispatched a formal delegation to visit Taiwan. And in just the past two weeks, each of the French Parliament's two chambers have sent a friendship group delegation to visit Taiwan. This sets a new record for Taiwan-France exchanges.
I want to thank each of our distinguished guests for taking concrete actions to show the depth of friendship between Taiwan and France, and for demonstrating their strong support for Taiwan. We have seen parliamentary exchanges between Taiwan and France become institutionalized under the guidance of Senate Vice-president Richard. Our Legislative Yuan President You Si-kun (游錫堃) led a delegation to France last July, and Legislative Yuan Vice President Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) led another delegation to visit France this month. Both of these delegations received very warm hospitality from Senate Vice-president Richard and other members of the French Senate. And so I want to express my sincerest gratitude for all you have done to enhance relations between Taiwan and France.
Taiwan and France share the values of freedom and democracy and are important economic and trade partners. Just this month in Paris, the World Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce held their first in-person meeting post-pandemic. This indicates just how closely Taiwan and France cooperate in the area of economic and trade relations. It was also this month that the G7 nations, including France, held a foreign ministers' meeting and issued a communiqué reaffirming the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and supporting Taiwan's meaningful international participation. For this, I express my deepest gratitude.
Taiwan will continue to be a key force on the path of global democratic and economic development. We hope that Taiwan and France will continue to enhance our bilateral relations and that we can make even more achievements across a wide range of areas.
Senate Vice-president Richard then delivered remarks, first thanking Taiwan for the warm welcome, which itself is telling of the friendly relations between Taiwan and France. He added that he is making this visit to deliver a message: a statement of France's friendship with Taiwan and its respect for the Taiwanese government, as well as a recognition of Taiwan's social developments, especially in the achievement of freedom and democracy.
Senate Vice-president Richard pointed out that democratic countries maintain their relationships through thick and thin. Similarly, over several years, Taiwan and France have maintained a very close relationship in several of our collaborative efforts, he said, and the French people have shown an ever increasing interest in Taiwan. Indeed, he noted, working to advance the relations between France and other nations is one of the duties of the French Parliament, including an emphasis on cooperation with Taiwan.
Senate Vice-president Richard mentioned that now, at this critical juncture in the international situation, they are focused on strengthening cooperation in the areas of mutual trust and security. Through this visit, he added, he wants to convey the degree of attention the French Parliament and its members have placed on security in the Taiwan Strait and that he will urge the French government to redouble its own consideration for Taiwan. He then mentioned the recent transit of a French warship through the Taiwan Strait, saying that it is a perfect example of that consideration.
Senate Vice-president Richard expressed hope that Taiwan and France can continue to enhance our mutual trust and friendship. Pointing to his recent interactions with our Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Legislative Yuan, he said that such work is all for the purpose of further strengthening our bilateral relations. He added that in a few moments when he is able to exchange views with President Tsai, he hopes to give testament to the attention the French people have given to Taiwan.
In 2021 the French Senate passed a resolution supporting Taiwan's international participation, the first such resolution to be passed by the Senate. Senate Vice-president Richard also took the opportunity during this visit to present the president, on behalf of the delegation, with a copy of the resolution signed by the Taiwan Friendship Group as a show of their support for Taiwan participating in the international community.
Also in attendance at the meeting was French Office in Taipei Director Jean-François Casabonne-Masonnave.