TAIPEI — A senior Taiwanese politician questioned whether France's founding ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity were still relevant in light of French President Emmanuel Macron's comments on Taiwan.
Macron warned against getting sucked into a Taiwan crisis fueled by an "American rhythm and a Chinese overreaction" in remarks made during an interview on a trip to China intended to demonstrate European unity on China policy.
Along with Washington and Beijing, he urged the European Union to become a "third pole" in world affairs and lessen its reliance on the United States.
You Si-kun, the speaker of the Taiwanese parliament, questioned France's commitment to freedom in a post on Facebook late on Tuesday that was posted above a screenshot of a report about Macron's remarks on Taiwan.
Are "liberté, égalité, fraternité" (the official French motto of "liberty, equality, fraternity") out of style?, he asked in his letter.
"Once it is a part of the Constitution, is it acceptable to just ignore it?" Or are developed democracies capable of ignoring the lives and deaths of citizens elsewhere? You were added as a founding member of Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party. "The actions of President Macron, a leading international democracy, leave me puzzled."
Since Saturday, when Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen returned from a trip to the US where she met Speaker of the US House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy, China has been conducting military drills around Taiwan.
Like most nations, France has no formal diplomatic ties to Taiwan, which China claims, but it does keep a de facto embassy there and has joined other U.S. allies in highlighting the importance of maintaining peace in the Taiwan Strait.
On Tuesday, Taiwan's foreign ministry attempted to downplay Macron's comments while stating that they had "noted" them.
Speaking to reporters, spokesperson Jeff Liu said, "The Foreign Ministry expresses its gratitude to France for raising concerns about peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait on numerous occasions and in a variety of international fora." This is a continuation of France's consistent stance and position.