France’s pivotal support of Taiwan
French media reported that the unanimous resolution was passed on May 6 in a vote of 304 to 0, with 19 abstentions. This is a rare event for the upper house of the French Parliament, indicating that there is a high degree of agreement among French senators and the French public about supporting Taiwan’s participation in international organizations.
In addition, French Secretary of State for Tourism, French Living Abroad and Francophonie Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne reiterated support for Taiwan on behalf of the French government.
The Senate’s move has not only attracted the attention of the international community, it also reflected demands of the European Parliament.
More than two years ago, during a plenary session in December 2018, the EU legislature passed a resolution on the bloc’s Common Foreign and Security Policy, to be implemented in 2019, that included provisions in support of Taiwan’s international participation.
Taiwan and the EU share the values of democracy, rule of law and human rights.
However, China is the EU’s largest trading partner, and based on considerations of political reality, and economic and trade interests, the bloc has long been following a “one China” policy, upon which the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and European countries has been based.