François de Rugy, former President of the French National Assembly and current Chairman of the National Assembly’s France-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group, is leading a six-member cross-party delegation to Taiwan from December 15 to 19 at the invitation of the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan).

The other members of the delegation are Jean-Luc Reitzer, Frédérique Dumas, Jean François Mbaye, and Aina Kuric—all Members of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs Committee—as well as Jean-Louis Bricout, Member of the National Assembly’s Finance Committee.

The visit follows on the heels of another important trip to Taiwan in October by a delegation led by Alain Richard, Chairman of the French Senate’s Taiwan Friendship Group. This marks the first time that both legislative chambers of a single European country have visited Taiwan within three months of each other. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs extends a sincere welcome to the delegation led by Chairman de Rugy.

The delegation will meet with President Tsai Ing-wen, Premier Su Tseng-chang, President of the Legislative Yuan You Si-kun, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Jaushieh Joseph Wu, in addition to other high-ranking officials from the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Mainland Affairs Council, and the Environmental Protection Administration. The delegation will also visit cultural and economic facilities, and Legislative Yuan President You and Minister Wu will each host a banquet in the delegation’s honor. The entire trip, from arrival to departure, will comply with the Central Epidemic Command Center’s antipandemic policy.

Chairman de Rugy has long been a staunch supporter of Taiwan. Since becoming chairman of the National Assembly’s France-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group in May 2020, he has strived to deepen friendly relations between Taiwan and France. On November 29, 2021, the National Assembly overwhelmingly voted to adopt a resolution proposed by Chairman de Rugy calling for Taiwan’s inclusion in international organizations and multilateral cooperation forums. It was jointly signed by 183 Members of the National Assembly, including the leaders of seven party caucuses. This was the first time the French National Assembly passed a resolution in support of Taiwan. In fact, this year both chambers of the French Parliament have for the first time passed a resolution backing Taiwan. The strong support voiced by both chambers demonstrates their sincere friendship with Taiwan.

This is Chairman de Rugy’s second visit to Taiwan since 2016, highlighting the close and friendly relations between Taiwan and France. Both sides will exchange views on a wide range of political and economic issues, including postpandemic economic recovery, digital transformation, and Indo-Pacific regional security, to further deepen the solid friendship between the two peoples and strengthen substantive and mutually beneficial ties. (E)