TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said Taiwan and France are strengthening cooperation in technology and culture at a French National Day reception in Taipei on Tuesday.
Lin said Taiwan and France shared the values of freedom, equality, and fraternity. The foreign minister described the two countries as important partners in defending democracy and said France firmly supported peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
“Taiwan-France relations have continued to grow in recent years,” Lin said. The two sides are working closely on semiconductors, artificial intelligence, solid-state batteries, satellites, and other advanced technologies.
He said this cooperation had made Taiwan an important partner in France’s efforts to achieve greater strategic autonomy and strengthen domestic manufacturing. These policies are intended to increase France’s ability to develop and produce key technologies.
Lin also announced that Alliance Francaise de Taiwan, a French language and cultural institute, would move to a historic former US aid housing complex in Taipei. He said the new location would provide a platform for closer cultural and public exchanges.
French Office in Taipei Director Franck Paris thanked the government for helping the institute find its new home. He said the move would begin a new chapter in cultural relations.
Paris said his three years in Taiwan had given him a better understanding of the research and academic institutions supporting the nation’s democratic and industrial development. He said Taiwan and France had made progress in scientific research, advanced industries, and cultural cooperation.
