TAIPEI – French lawmakers are planning a visit to Taipei amid increasing tensions with China, according to Taiwan’s foreign minister. 

Mr Joseph Wu said in an interview on Monday that France’s Senate and National Assembly have shown their backing for Taiwan and that some lawmakers will visit the island “very soon”. Taiwan’s government will “check with them to see what kind of additional support we would need”, Mr Wu said.

The delegation is heading to the island on Sunday, according to one French official who will be part of the group. Press officers at the French National Assembly and Senate did not immediately reply when asked to comment on the plan on Monday, a public holiday in France.

Beijing said on Monday it has ended three days of military exercises around Taiwan that came after a visit by Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-Wen to the US last week. China has pledged to bring Taiwan under its control some day, by force if necessary, while Dr Tsai’s Democratic Progressive Party asserts that Taiwan is an independent nation.

The lawmakers’ visit would come after French President Emmanuel Macron said in an interview with Les Echos and Politico published on Sunday that Europe should avoid getting dragged into any potential confrontation between the US and China over Taiwan.

“The worse thing would be to think that we Europeans must become followers on this topic and take our cue from the US agenda and a Chinese overreaction,” Mr Macron said. 

Mr Macron last week visited Beijing and set out a more conciliatory line on relations with China than the US has advocated. French lawmakers also visited Taiwan in December 2021.

“The French government has been very vocal in supporting peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. And they also oppose any unilateral change of status quo,” Mr Wu added.

“The French government has also been conducting freedom of navigation operations in this part of the world. So all these kinds of actions actually are being supported by Taiwan or appreciated by Taiwan.” BLOOMBERG