President Tsai awards state honor to French senator

2022/06/13

President Tsai Ing-wen conferred the Order of Propitious Clouds with Grand Cordon on Joel Guerriau, vice chair of the Senate’s Foreign Affairs, Defense and Armed Forces Committee and Taiwan Friendship Group, for his contributions to strengthening Taiwan-France relations June 9.
 
Guerriau is a dear friend and firm supporter of Taiwan, Tsai said. Examples include his letter this year to Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, reiterating support for Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Assembly by 304 French parliamentarians.
 
The state honor expresses appreciation from the government and people for his continuous effort and dedication to enhancing bilateral ties, she added.
 
According to the president, who cited the resolutions passed by both the French Senate and National Assembly in 2021 in support of Taiwan and the visits by the chairs of their respective Taiwan Friendship Groups, bilateral legislative exchanges have grown by leaps and bounds in recent years.
 
Tsai said Taiwan-EU ties are also progressing apace, as evidenced by the European Chips Act passed by the EU in February that recognizes Taiwan’s advanced chip technology, as well as the upgraded Taiwan-EU Trade and Investment Dialogue held earlier this month.
 
The Taiwan-Europe Connectivity Initiative she proposed at the beginning of the year will help fast-track discussions of a bilateral investment agreement to develop resilient supply chains while spurring mutual progress and benefits, the president added.
 
In response, Guerriau expressed his deep pride in accepting the honor, saying that it is his duty to stand up for Taiwan in any setting or situation.
 
As a top performer in Asia, Taiwan has repeatedly proven that it is a cornerstone of regional stability with its perseverance and resilience, he said, adding that he will help Taiwan resist its oppressors and demonstrate its excellence to those who overlook the facts.
 
Guerriau arrived in Taiwan the previous day and leads a delegation of cross-party senators comprising Vincent Eble, Sylvie Goy-Chavent, Dany Wattebled and Ludovic Haye. Key events on the group’s itinerary include meetings with Premier Su Tseng-chang, Legislative Yuan President You Si-kun and Foreign Minister Jaushieh Joseph Wu.


Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)