French Senators to Visit Taiwan Amid Soaring China Tensions

Read MoreTAIPEI–A group of French senators, including a former defence minister, will visit Taiwan this week, the island’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday, with the visit coming at a time of soaring tensions between Taipei and Beijing, and despite China’s opposition. Their trip comes after China flew almost 150 warplanes into Taiwan’s air defence zone over a four-day period beginning Oct. 1, China’s National Day holiday. China claims democratically ruled Taiwan as its own territory and is always angered by any trips to the island by foreign officials. Taiwan Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou said the delegation will be led by Alain Richard, head of the French Senate’s Taiwan Friendship Group and the country’s defence minister from 1997 to 2002 under President Jacques Chirac. Richard has visited Taiwan twice before, in 2015 and 2018. Ou said Richard and his group would be coming despite pressure from China. “We are very moved …