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As Japan this week stated it is preparing for a possible war with China, other world powers continue standing with Taiwan
Four French senators and a former Australian prime minister have met with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-Wen. The meetings come as Beijing’s air and naval incursions into Taiwanese and Japanese territories surged in the last 10 days.
From the United Nations to individual diplomatic missions, China is pressuring world bodies to not admit Taiwan as an independent nation. The isolation is meant to delegitimize Taiwan which became a country after Democratic forces fled China in the 1940s. China challenges the self-ruled democracy on an almost daily basis.
On Oct. 7, President Tsai Ing-Wen met the French delegation in Taipei, Reuters reported. She thanked them for the visit amid Beijing’s mounting pressure on the island.
“We will continue to fulfill our responsibilities as a member of the international community to ensure peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region,” Tsai said.
Former defense minister Alain Richard led the delegation, who arrived in Taiwan on Oct. 6 despite strong opposition from Communist China. Richard said the French government was willing “to make Taiwan’s presence and participation recognized in the United Nations’ specialized organizations.”
On the same day, Tsai welcomed former Australian leader Tony Abbott at the presidential office, according to AP.
Abbott said he supported Taiwan’s bid to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, sending a strong signal of democracies standing shoulder to shoulder.
The former prime minister made clear he supported Taiwan as it stands against the threat from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP. Taiwan economist Wu Chia-Lung believes France would return to Asia just as neighboring Britain has. He expects France will make further deployments in the region, as one third of world trade depends on sea travel through the Indian Ocean.
Moreover, Wu noted, the trip of the senators showed France as well as Japan had the “guts” to defy communist China, which was of political significance in the international community.
–Wire services
