《TAIPEI TIMES》 French MPs voice support for Taiwan

PEACE: Visiting Portuguese lawmakers lauded shared values with Taiwan, while the Belgian and French foreign ministers called for maintaining the cross-strait ‘status quo’

By Liu Tzu-hsuan / Staff reporter

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A Taiwan contingency would affect the entire world, visiting French lawmaker Eric Bothorel said yesterday as he reaffirmed his country’s friendship with Taiwan.

Bothorel, who chairs the French National Assembly’s France-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group, arrived in Taipei yesterday morning with a delegation comprising members of the lower house of the French parliament.

He said he would like to tell Taiwanese: “We stand with you. We are close to you. You will be our friends for a long time.”

Through the visit, the delegation aims to demonstrate that the relationship between France and Taiwan goes beyond business relations, and plans to discuss how to improve the ties, he said.

France and Taiwan share common values and can learn much from each other, French lawmaker Constance Le Grip said, adding that she hoped to reaffirm the deep friendship between the two countries with the visit.

The trip was scheduled weeks ago, Bothorel said, when asked to comment on French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to China and his remarks that Europe should avoid being drawn into a dispute with China by the US.

France’s policy toward Taiwan remains the same, he said, adding that his country supports the “status quo.”

There is no misunderstanding between France and Taiwan, and Paris will continue to help preserve peace and freedom in the region, he said, citing a French military ship sailing through the Taiwan Strait last week as a gesture of support.

“If something happens to Taiwan, it will change the world,” he said.

The two other members of the delegation are the vice chairs of the French Foreign Affairs Committee Michel Herbillon and Mireille Clapot.

Separately, a Portuguese parliamentary delegation that arrived on Friday at the government’s invitation yesterday met with Vice President William Lai （賴清德）.

Although Taiwan and Portugal are far from each other geographically, “their hearts are very close,” as both are free and democratic nations that share common values and ideals in pursuing peace and human rights, Paulo Rios de Oliveira of the Social Democratic Party said.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday thanked the foreign affairs ministers of Belgium and France for voicing their support for Taiwan.

Belgium has a “known and unequivocal position” regarding the cross-strait situation — “We call for restraint, de-escalation and maintaining the ‘status quo’ in the Taiwan Strait,” Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hadja Lahbib said at the Belgian Chamber of Representatives on Friday.

“We condemn all bilateral actions that challenge this ‘status quo,’ and we call on the various parties to engage in dialogue and establish confidence-building measures,” she said.

French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna told NHK on Sunday that the “status quo” across the Taiwan Strait should not be unilaterally changed.

France, like its European allies and the US, is committed to preserving peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, including Taiwan, and is opposed to any use of force in the Strait, she said onboard the French frigate Prairial on Saturday.

The ministry expressed gratitude for their support and pledged to work together with like-minded countries to safeguard peace, stability and prosperity in the region.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES