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On the afternoon of September 8, President Lai Ching-te met with a Canadian parliamentary delegation from the Bloc Québécois. In remarks, President Lai stated that this marks the first time that a delegation from the Bloc Québécois has visited Taiwan since the party was founded in 1991, making it of great significance to bilateral exchanges and cooperation. The president thanked the Bloc Québécois for taking parliamentary action in support of cross-strait peace and Taiwan's international participation. He expressed hope that Taiwan and Québec will forge an even closer partnership in artificial intelligence, semiconductors, aerospace, critical minerals, renewable energy, and supply chain security.
A translation of President Lai's remarks follows:
This marks the first time that a delegation from the Bloc Québécois has visited Taiwan since the party was founded in 1991, and it is also Bloc Québécois Leader and Member of Parliament Yves-François Blanchet's first trip to Taiwan, making it of great significance to bilateral exchanges and cooperation. Two years ago, Member of Parliament Christine Normandin made the long trip to Taiwan to attend my and Vice President Bi-khim Hsiao's inauguration. This year she is here once more, and with so many good friends alongside her. On behalf of the people of Taiwan, I extend my warmest welcome to you all. I hope that this visit will be followed by a second, a third, and many more. And please be sure to set aside a little time to get to know Taiwan's local customs and to enjoy our food.
Taiwan and Québec, though geographically distant, share the same beliefs and values. We each cherish our land, our culture, our languages, and our way of life. And we both believe that people have the right to determine their own future. The culture, language, and historical memory of a place are the deepest roots of democracy. Party Leader Blanchet has long defended the French language and Québec's culture, and that is a conviction Taiwan feels deeply and shares completely.
In November 2024 the Bloc Québécois spearheaded the introduction of a motion in the House of Commons to counter China's distortion of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758. In February of this year, Party Leader Blanchet publicly called on the Canadian government to expedite the signing of the Taiwan-Canada Trade Cooperation Framework Agreement. And on the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development, Member of Parliament Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe urged Canadian naval vessels to continue transiting the Taiwan Strait. Time and again, through parliamentary actions, these members of parliament have told the world that cross-strait peace and Taiwan's international participation are matters of common concern to the international community. Their visit today further demonstrates their high regard and support for Taiwan, for which I express my most profound appreciation. Looking forward, I am confident that we will transform this sincere friendship into even deeper cooperation.
Québec is a major hub in the global aerospace industry; Montreal is a world-renowned base for artificial intelligence research; Taiwan is an international leader in the semiconductor and ICT industries. Taiwan's Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation and Canada's Bombardier have been collaborating for over 20 years. In the future, Taiwanese enterprises will continue to invest and expand their presence in Montreal.
I am certain that by pairing Québec's AI with Taiwan's chips, and by integrating Québec's aerospace prowess with Taiwan's strength in precision manufacturing, we can fly higher together and take democratic supply chains even further. I look forward to forging an even closer partnership in AI, semiconductors, aerospace, critical minerals, renewable energy, and supply chain security.
In closing, I once again welcome our distinguished guests to Taiwan. I hope that you take not just insights into Taiwan's policies and industrial experience back to Québec, but also the most sincere friendship of the people of Taiwan.
Party Leader Blanchet then delivered remarks, noting that this is the first delegation to Taiwan composed entirely of members of parliament from Québec, which makes the visit historic. He said he is confident that Taiwan and Québec have many areas in which they can further deepen exchanges and cooperation.
Party Leader Blanchet noted that given the current international situation, Taiwan finds itself in a unique position. The delegation's itinerary included a visit to Kinmen, where members met with local military officers and saw firsthand the infrastructure and resources China has committed at a distance of only about two kilometers from Kinmen. That experience, he said, gave them a deep appreciation of the challenges Taiwan faces every day, as well as a deeper understanding of cross-strait relations and related issues.
Party Leader Blanchet pointed out that Taiwan's economy is thriving and that Taiwan plays an important role in global supply chains, making it an indispensable part of shared global prosperity. Deepening economic cooperation between the two countries is therefore an important matter, he said. Canada and Taiwan concluded negotiations on the Trade Cooperation Framework Agreement in early 2025 with the aim of promoting bilateral trade, and the Bloc Québécois will continue to urge the Canadian government to sign it.
Party Leader Blanchet emphasized that Taiwan has both the need and the legitimate right to participate in major international organizations and agreements, including the World Health Organization, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Whether that participation takes the form of formal membership or another status, he said, is for Taiwan itself to decide. He noted in particular that China's military activities in the airspace around Taiwan bear not only on military security but also on civil aviation safety, which makes Taiwan's participation in the ICAO all the more important.
Party Leader Blanchet said that the Bloc Québécois will continue to speak out in the Canadian Parliament on behalf of the courageous people of Taiwan until every government in the free world acts according to conscience and refuses to be intimidated by China, so that Taiwan has the opportunity to take part in multilateral mechanisms, to demonstrate its outstanding economic strength and remarkable talents, and to enjoy the rights of equality, freedom, and security. Taiwan should have the right to determine the manner and extent of its participation in international forums in accordance with its own wishes, he said, which is also an important way of exercising the right to self-determination.
Party Leader Blanchet noted that the Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law recently passed by China is vaguely worded yet extremely broad in scope, and it seeks to establish cultural and political hegemony. Its reach extends even to the roughly 200,000 Taiwanese living in Canada and to overseas ethnic Chinese. He condemned such politically motivated acts of hegemony and reaffirmed the support and friendship of the Bloc Québécois and the people of Québec for Taiwan. He also expressed solidarity with Tibet, the Uyghurs, Hong Kong, and Mongolia, with all Chinese people facing harassment overseas, and with all democratic countries threatened by such improper conduct.
In closing, Party Leader Blanchet expressed admiration for the hard work, courage, and creativity of the people of Taiwan, for the vitality of Taiwan's economy, and for the Taiwanese people's awareness of history and their sense of belonging to their own culture. He emphasized that only in peace can such rich foundations be fully realized. In today's world, he said, we must jointly defend justice, equality, and democracy, and work hand in hand to address challenges such as climate change and the environment. He expressed confidence that these challenges will inspire the people of Taiwan and Québec to keep moving forward.
The delegation also included Members of Parliament Patrick Bonin and Sébastien Lemire and was accompanied to the Presidential Office by Canadian Trade Office in Taipei Executive Director Marie-Louise Hannan.
