French lawmaker Francois de Rugy, the leader of a parliamentary delegation visiting Taiwan from Wednesday to Sunday, has said that he looks forward to seeing Taiwan and France further bilateral economic ties in such areas as the production of semiconductors and renewable energy.
De Rugy made the comment as the six-member delegation met with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday morning.
He also underscored the importance of Taiwan and France collaborating on fighting climate change and COVID-19.
Photo: Presidential Office via Reuters
The two countries have grown closer because of their shared values, such as democracy, freedom of association and freedom of speech, De Rugy said, adding that the two also value free and transparent elections, while defending the right to an independent and liberal press.
Last month, the French National Assembly adopted a resolution that called on the French government to offer concrete support for Taiwan’s participation in international organizations, said De Rugy, chairman of the assembly’s France-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group.
The non-binding resolution was passed in a 39-2 vote with three abstentions, following a similar resolution adopted by the French Senate in May.
Yesterday, Tsai thanked the lawmakers for showing their support for Taiwan by passing the resolution in the National Assembly and by visiting Taiwan.
A five-member group from the French Senate visited in October.
The government looks forward to soon welcoming French government officials to Taiwan, she added.
Democratic partners should work together in the wake of the expansion of authoritarianism, Tsai said, adding that her administration is committed to further deepening Taiwan’s ties with France.
She also expressed the hope that France, which takes up the presidency of the European Council in the first half of next year, would push for the negotiation of a bilateral investment agreement between Taiwan and the EU.
On Wednesday, the delegation met with Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花) to discuss bilateral economic relations, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said in a news release.
At the meeting, Wang proposed that Taiwanese enterprises and their French partners collaborate on the development of electric vehicles, as well as the development of semiconductors and offshore wind power, the ministry said.
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