A delegation of French parliamentarians visiting Taiwan
French senators Cyril Pellevat and his delegation of parliamentarians pose with a Taiwanese official upon their arrival in Taipei on September 7, 2022. AFP - STR
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
A delegation of four French senators landed Wednesday, September 7 in the morning in Taiwan, an archipelago of 24 million inhabitants claimed by mainland China.
It is the largest European delegation to visit Taiwan after the visit of Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, last month, which set fire to the powder in the relations between Westerners and Beijing, already in difficulties .
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With our correspondent in Taipei,
Adrien Simorre
Normal and regular parliamentary visits: this is the message recalled by the four French senators who arrived in Taiwan on Wednesday morning for a five-day visit.
Among them,
the senator of the Bouches du Rhône Brigitte Devésa
: “
This study trip was planned for a long time.
We are not at all there to exacerbate tensions, quite the contrary, but to appease them.
»
The timing of this visit remains symbolic.
After
Nancy Pelosi's visit
last month,
China carried out unprecedented military maneuvers
around Taiwan in retaliation.
Out of the question, however, to give up these parliamentary visits, for the senator of Haute-Savoie Cyril Pellevat, at the head of the delegation: "
Today, we see that Taiwan is a country which has values, which are those that we can have in France, namely freedom equality fraternity, on issues related to human rights, on our ways of functioning as democracies.
So there are exchanges that we must have at all levels and we, the parliamentarians, are here to bring them to life
”
The issue
of semiconductors
, the fight against disinformation, but also regional security will be on the menu of discussions with Taiwanese officials.
“
This visit is proof of the deep bond of friendship between Taiwan and France
,”
welcomed the Taiwanese government
.
Beijing, for its part, made no comment.
►
To read also:
Sale of arms from the United States to Taipei: "Taiwan is a strategic issue from all points of view"
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