French senators meet with Taiwan's Tsai at tense time

TAIPEI – A radical of French senators visiting Taiwan arsenic portion of a regular parliamentary speech met with President Tsai Ing-wen connected Thursday greeting during a travel that comes successful a peculiarly tense infinitesimal betwixt Taiwan and China.

Tsai spoke concisely earlier their meeting, giving France's erstwhile defence minister, Alain Richard, the Order of Propitious Clouds, a favoritism recognizing “his contributions to Taiwan-France relations.” She thanked him for starring an effort successful the French Senate to walk a solution successful enactment of allowing Taiwan to enactment successful planetary organizations similar the World Health Organization.

China claims self-ruled Taiwan arsenic its ain territory and opposes immoderate planetary engagement with the land that suggest a abstracted status, specified arsenic WHO rank and meetings with overseas authorities officials. It tried to discourage the French senators' visit, with its embassy successful France saying up of the travel that it would undermine Chinese-French relations.

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Richard on with the 3 different senators besides program to conscionable Taiwanese economical and wellness officials and the Mainland Affairs Council connected their five-day visit. This is the 3rd sojourn to Taiwan for Richard, a erstwhile French defence minister, who antecedently visited Taiwan successful 2015 and 2018. He heads the Taiwan Friendship radical successful the French Senate.

The senators' travel is simply a recurrent 1 that French lawmakers marque arsenic portion of the Taiwan Friendship group, particularly arsenic caller senators are elected each 3 years.

Tsai besides met with erstwhile Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who was visiting the land to springiness a speech.

China and Taiwan divided amid civilian warfare successful 1949, and China has progressively mobilized military, diplomatic and economical unit to undermine Tsai’s independence-leaning medication portion threatening to bring the land nether Chinese Communist Party control.

Taiwan’s defence curate described the existent concern arsenic the astir terrible successful 40 years.

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In its astir caller show of sustained subject harassment, China flew combatant jets 149 times toward Taiwan implicit 4 days from past Friday to Monday.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking successful Paris connected Wednesday connected an authoritative visit, said the Chinese subject flights towards Taiwan were “destabilizing.”

“We powerfully impulse Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic and economical unit and coercion directed astatine Taiwan,” helium said.

China has often pointed to U.S. selling weapons to Taiwan and its ships navigating the Taiwan Strait arsenic provocative actions.

The flights were successful planetary airspace but prompted Taiwanese defence forces to scramble successful response. Analysts accidental the flights show China's expanding subject advancement arsenic the U.S. and different rivals are pushing backmost against China's assertions of territorial ambitions.

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—- Associated Press writer Sylvie Corbet successful Paris contributed to this report.

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