President Lai Ching-te said June 12 that Taiwan is committed to deepening partnerships with France in areas spanning economy, energy, trade and digital security.
Lai made the remarks while meeting with Marie-Noëlle Battistel, chair of the French National Assembly’s Taiwan friendship group, at the Presidential Office in Taipei City. Other guests included Éric Martineau, vice chair of the friendship group.
The president first thanked the French Parliament’s long-standing support of Taiwan’s global participation and cross-strait security. He cited a resolution backing Taiwan’s engagement in international organizations passed by the legislative body in 2021, and the 2024-2030 Military Programming Law approved by both houses in 2023, which made France the first major country to enact legislation calling for the defense of freedom of navigation in the Taiwan Strait.
According to Lai, the two sides have continued to strengthen their cooperation in the fields of culture, economy, sports and technology. This was evidenced by the collaboration in semiconductor and satellite sectors announced by enterprises from both countries at the Choose France Summit held last month in Paris; as well as participation of Taiwan businesses in the ongoing Viva Technology, an annual conference dedicated to innovation and startups in Paris.
Lai went on to pledge that Taiwan will continue working with France and other like-minded partners to safeguard peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and contribute to global prosperity.
In response, Battistel emphasized shared concerns such as foreign interference and disinformation, which could undermine the security of the countries. The chair further praised Taiwan’s cultivation of young personnel, noting that 30 youths from Taiwan are visiting France to attend the 2025 U.N. Ocean Conference and tour French aerospace hub Toulouse. She concluded by vowing to deepen bilateral exchanges and reaffirmed that supporting peace in Taiwan is supporting world peace. (YCH-E)
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