February 8, 2024
No. 057
In response to a question from the French Senate on February 7 regarding China’s unilateral alteration of the M503 flight route, French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Stéphane Séjourné reiterated that France opposed any unilateral change to the status quo across the Taiwan Strait, as well as the use of military or coercive measures to alter the status quo. Minister Séjourné also reaffirmed the importance that France placed on the freedom of navigation and overflight with respect to the Taiwan Strait and again explicitly endorsed Taiwan’s participation in international organizations, making him the first foreign minister of a European nation to address the dispute over the M503 route change. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of the Republic of China (Taiwan) sincerely appreciates Minister Séjourné’s statement.
France has long shown concern over developments in the Indo-Pacific and across the Taiwan Strait. It has reaffirmed the importance of cross-strait peace and stability in recent high-level meetings and multilateral statements issued with other countries, including the United States, Australia, and Japan. It has also expressed its stance through concrete actions, such as by dispatching military vessels to sail through the Taiwan Strait on several occasions. The 2024-2030 Military Programming Law, promulgated by French President Emmanuel Macron last August, marked the first time for France to include Taiwan in a law and for a major country to enact legislation emphasizing freedom of navigation in the Taiwan Strait.
Taiwan and France share such universal values as democracy, freedom, human rights, and the rule of law. Taiwan will continue to work hand in hand with France to safeguard core democratic values and deepen bilateral cooperation in various domains, including the economy, trade, technology, new energy, and scientific research. (E)