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Taipei, April 23 (CNA) French Senate Vice President Alain Richard will lead a parliamentary delegation on a visit to Taiwan next week, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) announced Sunday.
The delegation, the second group of French lawmakers to visit Taiwan this month, will meet with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and other senior officials to exchange views on the latest situation in the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region, democratic values, bilateral economic and trade relations and cooperation on semiconductors, MOFA said in a press release.
They will also visit northeastern Yilan County and southern Tainan City, it added.
Richard, who also chairs French Senate’s Taiwan Friendship Group, will be joined by three of his colleagues, namely, Alexandra Borchio-Fontimp, Valérie Boyer and Brigitte Devésa, as well as the group’s secretary Philippe Péjo, during the Taipei trip from Monday through Friday, according to MOFA.
Describing the senate vice president as a long-time friend of Taiwan who helped pass several pieces of pro-Taiwan legislation, MOFA said Richard has previously visited Taiwan in 2015, 2018 and 2021.
During his 2021 trip, President Tsai conferred the Order of Propitious Clouds with Special Grand Cordon upon Richard, in recognition of his decades-long efforts in strengthening bilateral relations.
The upcoming visit came after French lawmaker Eric Bothorel, leading a four-member delegation from the French National Assembly, concluded a four-day visit to Taiwan last week.
The two groups’ visits come after French President Emmanuel Macron remarked that Europe must avoid being drawn into any conflict between the United States and China over Taiwan.
Speaking after concluding a three-day state visit to China on April 8, Macron warned Europe should not become a follower on the Taiwan Strait issue and be forced to adapt to the American pace and Chinese overreaction.
That brought criticism from some politicians and commentators in Europe and the U.S., with former U.S. President Donald Trump accusing him of “kissing ass” with Beijing.
Bruno Le Maire, Macron’s finance minister and a member of the French parliament, however, defended him, saying that France needs not be against China even as it is allied with the U.S.
Macron later insisted that the French and European position on Taiwan has always remained the same.
“We’re in favor of the status quo. This policy is constant and hasn’t changed,” he said last week when asked to clarify his comments that prompted a backlash.
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