The arrival of a six-member French National Assembly delegation is sincerely welcomed by the government and people of Taiwan, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dec. 15.
Led by Francois de Rugy, chair of the France-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group, the delegation also consists of Jean-Luc Reitzer, Frederique Dumas, Jean Francois Mbaye, Aina Kuric and Jean-Louis Bricout. It follows on from the visit in October by a group from the French Senate headed by Taiwan Friendship Group Chair Alain Richard.
During the delegation’s five-day trip, members will meet with President Tsai Ing-wen, Premier Su Tseng-chang, Legislative Yuan President You Si-kun and Foreign Minister Jaushieh Joseph Wu, as well as take part in banquets hosted by You and Wu.
The delegation will also call on the Mainland Affairs Council, Ministries of Economic Affairs and Health and Welfare, Cabinet-level Environmental Protection Administration and tour cultural and economic facilities.
According to the MOFA, issues set for discussion between the group and key Taiwan officials span digital transformation, post-pandemic recovery and regional security. An additional focus involves enhancing mutually beneficial partnerships and people-to-people exchanges.
The ministry said de Rugy, a rock-solid friend of the country, proposed a resolution in June urging the French government to continue supporting Taiwan’s global participation.
Passed Nov. 29, the cross-party resolution is the first by the French National Assembly backing Taiwan, the MOFA said, adding that it marks the first time for both houses of the French Parliament to adopt resolutions showing support for the country this year.
In a tweet on its official Twitter account, the MOFA said “The warmest of #Taiwan welcomes to the @AssembleeNat cross-party delegation from #France. We wish the group of like-minded lawmakers led by @FdeRugy & comprising @JL_Reitzer, @DumasFrederique, @JFMBAYE, @ainakuric & @jlbricout an enjoyable & fruitful 5-day fact-finding visit.” (SFC-E)
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