French senators meet with Taiwan's Tsai at tense time
ABC News
A group of French senators visiting Taiwan as part of a regular parliamentary exchange met with President Tsai Ing-wen during a trip that comes in a particularly tense moment between Taiwan and China
TAIPEI, Taiwan -- A group of French senators visiting Taiwan as part of a regular parliamentary exchange met with President Tsai Ing-wen on Thursday morning during a trip that comes in a particularly tense moment between Taiwan and China.
Tsai spoke briefly before their meeting, giving France's former defense minister, Alain Richard, the Order of Propitious Clouds, a distinction recognizing “his contributions to Taiwan-France relations.” She thanked him for leading an effort in the French Senate to pass a resolution in support of allowing Taiwan to participate in international organizations like the World Health Organization.
China claims self-ruled Taiwan as its own territory and opposes any international engagement with the island that suggest a separate status, such as WHO membership and meetings with foreign government officials. It tried to discourage the French senators' visit, with its embassy in France saying ahead of the trip that it would undermine Chinese-French relations.
Richard along with the three other senators also plan to meet Taiwanese economic and health officials and the Mainland Affairs Council on their five-day visit. This is the third visit to Taiwan for Richard, a former French defense minister, who previously visited Taiwan in 2015 and 2018. He heads the Taiwan Friendship group in the French Senate.
