Sébastien Le Belzic 9:02 am, October 08, 2021

A delegation of French senators led by former Minister of Defense Alain Richard is visiting Taiwan.

The delegation will meet with the president of the island, Tsai Ing-Wen.

Beijing, which wants to take possession of the island, does not welcome this visit at all and has put pressure on France and Taiwan. 

The delegation led by Alain Richard, the former Minister of Defense, arrived in Taiwan, an island coveted by China.

An interview is scheduled today with the president of the island, Tsai Ing-Wen.

Beijing does not welcome the visit at all and has put pressure on its neighbor by flying warplanes over its airspace. 

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Maximum pressure on Taiwan

In recent days, more than 150 Chinese warplanes have entered Taiwan's air defense zone.

Maximum military pressure when the four French senators arrive, who are meeting the president today.

Normal and regular parliamentary diplomacy, according to Paris, which reminds us that senators are free to move around.

But for Beijing, which claims its sovereignty over Taiwan, this is a terrible snub.

China pushed to the end to prevent the visit, going so far as to threaten France with reprisals.

Since China stepped up its military maneuvers around Taiwan, several foreign delegations have visited the island, including American, German and Japanese senators.

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The US 7th Fleet is also patrolling the area.

But with this escalation, there is the risk of a war by 2025, it is said in Taiwan.

Which would be a disaster for our democratic values, explains the president of the island.

In order not to aggravate the situation even more, the French senators will leave the island this Sunday, just before the ceremonies of the Taiwanese national day.