Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫堃), who is leading a delegation to France, on Monday said he was looking to strengthen ties between the two nations, including more cooperation in the fields of culture and technology.
You, who met with overseas Taiwanese in Paris on Monday after discussing bilateral industrial cooperation with French officials in Provence on Sunday, told the Central News Agency that there are more possibilities for partnerships.
France is strong in culture, education, technology and defense, while Taiwan has well-established semiconductor and high-technology sectors, You said.
Photo: screen grab from Facebook
“Taiwan and France could both benefit a lot if there are more mutual visits and exchanges between central governments from both sides,” he said.
You pointed out that there had been closer parliamentary exchanges between both nations, as three delegations of French lawmakers had visited Taiwan since he took office in 2020.
You, whose delegation is scheduled to visit the French parliament yesterday and today, said he hoped to take the opportunity to thank the nation for supporting Taiwan, including voicing support for the nation’s inclusion in the WHO.
France, the US, Japan, Australia, Canada and the UK are paying more attention to the situation in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, You said, adding that those concerns involve Taiwan.
You’s delegation has also visited the Czech Republic and Lithuania since Monday last week.
His delegation consists of Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Huang Shih-chieh (黃世杰), Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Jang Chyi-lu (張其祿), and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators Kung Wen-chi (孔文吉) and Wan Mei-ling (萬美玲).
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday said it had deployed patrol vessels to expel a China Coast Guard ship and a Chinese fishing boat near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. The China Coast Guard vessel was 28 nautical miles (52km) northeast of Pratas at 6:15am on Thursday, approaching the island’s restricted waters, which extend 24 nautical miles from its shoreline, the CGA’s Dongsha-Nansha Branch said in a statement. The Tainan, a 2,000-tonne cutter, was deployed by the CGA to shadow the Chinese ship, which left the area at 2:39pm on Friday, the statement said. At 6:31pm on Friday,
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, would pose a steep challenge to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against a full-scale invasion, a defense expert said yesterday. Institute of National Defense and Security Research analyst Chieh Chung (揭仲) made the comment hours after the PLAN confirmed the carrier recently passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct “scientific research tests and training missions” in the South China Sea. China has two carriers in operation — the Liaoning and the Shandong — with the Fujian undergoing sea trials. Although the PLAN needs time to train the Fujian’s air wing and
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group