The government yesterday thanked the French National Assembly for adopting a resolution on Monday in support of Taiwan’s international participation, following a similar resolution passed by the French Senate in May.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs praised the resolution’s passage as “historic” and as demonstrating the concrete support of both chambers of the French parliament for Taiwan’s participation in international affairs.
Taiwan and France have shared a long-standing partnership characterized by a high level of trust, and based on the shared values of democracy, freedom and human rights, the ministry said.
Photo courtesy of Francois Wu
Passed on Monday in a 39-2 vote with three abstentions, the non-legally binding resolution calls on the French government to offer concrete support for Taiwan’s participation in agencies such as the International Civil Aviation Organization, Interpol, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the World Health Assembly.
After the resolution was passed, French Secretary of State for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne reiterated the French government’s support for Taiwan’s participation in international organizations.
Representative to France Francois Wu (吳志中) told reporters that the adoption of a pro-Taiwan resolution in the French National Assembly is a “major historical breakthrough” for Taiwan-France relations.
Photo courtesy of Francois Wu
Among the 298 resolutions proposed during the past four-and-a-half years in the French National Assembly, only 54 entered the voting stage, of which 37 were passed and adopted, Wu said.
Taiwan-France relations have been warming in the past few years, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) spokeswoman Hsieh Pei-fen (謝佩芬) said.
As recently as October, a bipartisan delegation led by French Senator Alain Richard traveled to Taiwan, despite warnings from Beijing, Hsieh said.
This friendship is “no accident,” but an inevitable expression of their shared values of freedom and democracy, she added.
The DPP sincerely thanks the French Senate and government for their recognition and support for Taiwan’s international participation, Hsieh said.
She also extended the party’s thanks to and all of the nation’s diplomats, whose hard work has permitted the friendship between the two countries to reach new heights.
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s