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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》French senator, VP talk Europe policies
Visiting French Senator Andre Gattolin, left, meets with Vice President William Lai, right, at the Presidential Office in Taipei yesterday. Photo: CNA
TIES IMPROVING: Andre Gattolin told William Lai that, at 42, the French Senate’s Taiwan Friendship group now has more members than the China Friendship Group
By Liu Tzu-hsuan / Staff reporter
Visiting French Senator Andre Gattolin yesterday called on European lawmakers to work together to influence their governments’ Taiwan policies.
Gattolin, who is vice chairman of the French Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defense and Armed Forces, made the remarks during a meeting with Vice President William Lai （賴清德） at the Presidential Office.
European lawmakers can work together to change their governments’ attitudes or policies toward Taiwan and China, which are usually divided, Gattolin said.
The French Senate’s Taiwan Friendship Group has 42 members, surpassing the China Friendship Group’s 40 members, he said.
The China Friendship Group used to have 50 to 70 members, while the Taiwan Friendship Group used to have about 15 members, which shows that the ties between France and Taiwan have become closer, Gattolin said.
As a lawmaker, he finds it crucial that the Senate and National Assembly, the upper and lower houses of the French parliament, passed bills supporting Taiwan’s participation in international organizations, he said.
Gattolin said that he launched a petition to support Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Assembly in March 2020 when France was in lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The petition was a great success as it met with an enthusiastic response from lawmakers from both houses, he said.
It was the first time a lawmaker from the state legislature had launched an initiative to support Taiwan’s participation in an international organization, he said.
Three months later, French lawmakers and members of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China signed a joint letter in support of Taiwan, he said.
Gattolin thanked Representative to France Francois Wu （吳志中） and his team for their efforts at the Taipei Representative Office in France, including the establishment of a new branch office in Aix-en-Provence.
Wu has spared no effort in promoting ties between Taiwan and France and has always spared time for exchanges with French lawmakers, he said.
Thanks to the office’s efforts, French lawmakers have learned more about Taiwanese companies and more Taiwanese trade missions have visited France, he said.
Lai thanked Gattolin for launching the petition, which led to both chambers of the French parliament passing resolutions in support of Taiwan’s participation in international affairs in 2021.
In the face of challenges posed by authoritarian regimes, democratic countries around the world have become more united, such as through joint support of Ukraine, Lai said.
Taiwan donated US$2.5 million that went toward the construction of a bridge providing access to Kyiv’s Obolonsky Island, while Paris also donated US$1 million to help Ukraine build bridges, he said.
Taiwanese battery maker ProLogium Technology Co （輝能科技） invested 5.2 billion euros （US$5.8 billion） in northern France, he said, adding that he hopes Taiwan can continue to reinforce economic and trade ties with France.
Lai also thanked French Office in Taipei Director Jean-Francois Casabonne-Masonnave, who accompanied Gattolin and his delegation to the Presidential Office, for his work in Taiwan as he is to leave the post early next month.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
