Cross-party legislative delegation led by Vice President of the Legislative Yuan Johnny C. Chiang visits France to promote parliamentary diplomacy
On November 13, Vice President of the Legislative Yuan Johnny C. Chiang and members of the delegation arrived in Paris, France, the next stop of their trip, to promote parliamentary diplomacy, following their visit to the United States to meet with overseas Taiwanese business representatives and to strengthen city diplomacy. This visit was initiated by the French Senate's Taiwan Friendship Group, who invited the cross-party delegation of legislators to visit France, demonstrating the deep friendship between both nations. The five-member delegation was composed of the Chair and Deputy Chair of the Taiwan-France Inter-Parliamentary Amity Association, DPP Legislators Lin Chu-Yin and Chiu Yi-Ying, respectively; KMT Legislators Ko Chih-En and Chang Chia-Chun; and TPP Legislator Lin Yi-Chun.
Upon their arrival in Paris, Vice President Chiang and the delegation, accompanied by Taiwan’s Representative to France Hao Pei-Chih, visited the French Senate for a luncheon with 13 cross-party senators from the French Senate’s Taiwan Friendship Group. Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, Chair of the friendship group, first extended a warm welcome to the visiting delegation and congratulated Taiwan for its gold medal in the men’s doubles badminton final at the 2024 Summer Olympics. Chair Lemoyne continued by pointing out that Taiwan-France parliamentary exchanges have become a tradition through mutual visits in recent years, enhancing their mutual understanding and friendship.
In his speech, Vice President Chiang thanked Chair Lemoyne for sending invitations twice in 2024 for the delegation’s visit, and conveyed a special thanks on behalf of President of the Legislative Yuan Daniel K.Y. Han. He added that exchanges between the parliaments of Taiwan and France have become more frequent in the past two years, with this visit marking the third meeting with members of the French Parliament in 2024. This has shown that the exchanges between the parliaments of Taiwan and France have developed significantly, highlighting the proximity of freedom and democracy. Vice President Chiang also thanked Chair Lemoyne for his long-term support for Taiwan on the international stage. He hoped that, given the fast-changing global landscape, Taiwan and France can conduct more economic and trade exchanges, thus jointly boosting regional security and prosperity.
In her remarks, Taiwan-France Inter-Parliamentary Amity Association Chair Lin Chu-Yin talked about the friendship between Taiwan and France, which may have encountered difficulties at first, yet it continues to improve as time goes on. She stated that this trip, marking the third meeting of the year, has further solidified the friendship between Taiwan and France. She added that she looked forward to closer exchanges in the future.
Before the luncheon ended, Chair Lemoyne and Vice President Chiang exchanged commemorative gifts, where Vice President Chiang presented high mountain tea from his hometown—Taichung, hoping that members of the friendship group would think of the strong ties with Taiwan when savoring the tea. In exchange, Chair Lemoyne prepared a photo from a historical video. The photo was taken after the new republican government of France was established at the end of World War II, and shows French General Charles de Gaulle hoisting the flag of the Republic of China (Taiwan), one of the nations that emerged triumphant from World War II, in the main hall of parliament. This scene has great historical significance and demonstrates the unique bond between Taiwan and France.
After the luncheon, Chair Lemoyne invited Vice President Chiang and members of the delegation to the French Senate and personally accompanied them to sit in to listen to interpellations. During the session, the delegation met with Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, Minister of Transport, and Minister of Ecological Transition, who were present to answer the interpellation. Chair Lemoyne introduced Vice President Chiang and the delegation to the ministers, where both parties shook hands and briefly exchanged ideas. Following the visit, Vice President Chiang also received an exclusive interview by a correspondent from the Central News Agency (CNA) in France. In the interview, Vice President Chiang addressed topics including the delegation’s visit, parliamentary diplomacy, and Taiwan’s international participation.
In the evening, Vice President Chiang hosted a banquet for representatives from the overseas Taiwanese community living in France. He thanked the community members for their long-term diplomatic efforts in supporting the Republic of China (Taiwan) and for exerting their influence to promote Taiwan-France relations, which in turn, have increased Taiwan’s visibility on the world stage. Vice President Chiang stressed that the Legislative Yuan will serve as a strong support for overseas compatriots, and will spare no effort to provide any assistance required. The banquet lasted approximately two hours and concluded on a friendly and pleasant note.
Upon their arrival in Paris, Vice President Chiang and the delegation, accompanied by Taiwan’s Representative to France Hao Pei-Chih, visited the French Senate for a luncheon with 13 cross-party senators from the French Senate’s Taiwan Friendship Group. Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, Chair of the friendship group, first extended a warm welcome to the visiting delegation and congratulated Taiwan for its gold medal in the men’s doubles badminton final at the 2024 Summer Olympics. Chair Lemoyne continued by pointing out that Taiwan-France parliamentary exchanges have become a tradition through mutual visits in recent years, enhancing their mutual understanding and friendship.
In his speech, Vice President Chiang thanked Chair Lemoyne for sending invitations twice in 2024 for the delegation’s visit, and conveyed a special thanks on behalf of President of the Legislative Yuan Daniel K.Y. Han. He added that exchanges between the parliaments of Taiwan and France have become more frequent in the past two years, with this visit marking the third meeting with members of the French Parliament in 2024. This has shown that the exchanges between the parliaments of Taiwan and France have developed significantly, highlighting the proximity of freedom and democracy. Vice President Chiang also thanked Chair Lemoyne for his long-term support for Taiwan on the international stage. He hoped that, given the fast-changing global landscape, Taiwan and France can conduct more economic and trade exchanges, thus jointly boosting regional security and prosperity.
In her remarks, Taiwan-France Inter-Parliamentary Amity Association Chair Lin Chu-Yin talked about the friendship between Taiwan and France, which may have encountered difficulties at first, yet it continues to improve as time goes on. She stated that this trip, marking the third meeting of the year, has further solidified the friendship between Taiwan and France. She added that she looked forward to closer exchanges in the future.
Before the luncheon ended, Chair Lemoyne and Vice President Chiang exchanged commemorative gifts, where Vice President Chiang presented high mountain tea from his hometown—Taichung, hoping that members of the friendship group would think of the strong ties with Taiwan when savoring the tea. In exchange, Chair Lemoyne prepared a photo from a historical video. The photo was taken after the new republican government of France was established at the end of World War II, and shows French General Charles de Gaulle hoisting the flag of the Republic of China (Taiwan), one of the nations that emerged triumphant from World War II, in the main hall of parliament. This scene has great historical significance and demonstrates the unique bond between Taiwan and France.
After the luncheon, Chair Lemoyne invited Vice President Chiang and members of the delegation to the French Senate and personally accompanied them to sit in to listen to interpellations. During the session, the delegation met with Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, Minister of Transport, and Minister of Ecological Transition, who were present to answer the interpellation. Chair Lemoyne introduced Vice President Chiang and the delegation to the ministers, where both parties shook hands and briefly exchanged ideas. Following the visit, Vice President Chiang also received an exclusive interview by a correspondent from the Central News Agency (CNA) in France. In the interview, Vice President Chiang addressed topics including the delegation’s visit, parliamentary diplomacy, and Taiwan’s international participation.
In the evening, Vice President Chiang hosted a banquet for representatives from the overseas Taiwanese community living in France. He thanked the community members for their long-term diplomatic efforts in supporting the Republic of China (Taiwan) and for exerting their influence to promote Taiwan-France relations, which in turn, have increased Taiwan’s visibility on the world stage. Vice President Chiang stressed that the Legislative Yuan will serve as a strong support for overseas compatriots, and will spare no effort to provide any assistance required. The banquet lasted approximately two hours and concluded on a friendly and pleasant note.