fredag 8. oktober 2021

French senator risks Chinese fury after calling Taiwan a country

The head of a French delegation of senators on Thursday called Taiwan a "country" during a visit to Taipei, risking fury from China which has strongly protested against the trip. Alain Richard, a former defence minister, arrived on Wednesday for a five-day visit despite repeated warningsfrom the Chinese embassy in Paris. In a three minute speech President Tsai Ing-wen thanked Richard for his "continous pioneering efforts" in Taiwan-French exchanges and conferred on him a 1st class Order of Propitious Clouds,

The award is a presitious decoration first given to Chiang Kai-shek in 1941, when he was president of China before fleeing to Taiwan. Richard said that "like many other countries, we support Taiwan," adding that Taiwan has "contributed greatly" in many areas internationally, while Taiwan's de facto embassy in Paris has been doing "a very good job in representing your country".