Taipei: A senior French envoy has reiterated that naval transits through the Taiwan Strait by Western allies are grounded in international maritime law and freedom of navigation, dismissing claims that such movements are deliberate provocations toward Beijing. The remarks reflect growing diplomatic sensitivity in the Indo-Pacific as global powers navigate complex legal, strategic, and political considerations around one of the world’s most consequential sea passages.
On Thursday, Franck Paris, director of the French Office in Taipei France’s de facto diplomatic mission in Taiwan addressed reporters to clarify the purpose behind naval missions by foreign countries in the Taiwan Strait. Paris stressed that these operations are conducted carefully within international waters and are intended to reinforce universally accepted maritime rights rather than escalate tensions.
“We are careful to send these naval assets into international waters without any provocation,” Paris said, highlighting France’s commitment to the rules-based order at sea. His comments come as several recent transits by U.S. and allied warships have drawn sharp criticism from Beijing, which claims sovereignty over the strait and views foreign military presence as unwelcome interference.
France, which currently holds the rotating chair of the Group of Seven (G7) nations, has coordinated with partners such as Canada, Australia, Britain and the Netherlands to affirm a shared position: the Taiwan Strait should remain a stable international waterway where freedom of navigation is protected under international law. Paris said this messaging is now routinely included in G7 statements addressing the region’s security environment.
Taipei has welcomed such naval passages, viewing them as tangible expressions of support for the freedom of navigation and resistance to unilateral claims over strategic international waterways. Taiwan rejects Beijing’s assertions of ownership over the strait and says that such legal arguments have no basis in widely recognized maritime conventions.
China routinely condemns these transits as unnecessary “provocation,” asserting that they stir instability and undermine its territorial claims. Chinese official discourse often frames foreign naval activity as interference in what Beijing considers its domestic affairs an interpretation rejected by many Western governments and international legal scholars.
Analysts note that the Taiwan Strait is one of the world’s most vital corridors for trade, with a significant volume of global maritime traffic passing through it regularly. The strategic importance of the shipping lane amplifies both its legal status and its role as a focal point of great-power competition.
Despite the absence of formal diplomatic relations France, like most countries, does not officially recognize Taiwan as a sovereign state Paris remains an active partner on matters of security and defense cooperation. France sold Mirage fighter jets and frigates to Taiwan decades ago, and French firms continue to assist with maintenance and support for Taiwanese defense equipment, reinforcing longstanding ties beyond purely diplomatic channels.
The French position echoes broader actions by allied nations that regularly assert the principle of freedom of navigation. U.S. warships, for example, transit the strait every few months, and recent passages by Canadian and Australian vessels have drawn both praise from Taipei and strong objections from Beijing. By emphasizing legal norms rather than confrontation, Paris and its partners aim to maintain a balanced approach to freedom of the seas while discouraging coercive behaviour.
As geopolitical competition in the Indo-Pacific intensifies, statements such as those from the French Office in Taipei underscore how legal principles and strategic signaling intersect in one of the world’s most sensitive maritime arenas.