French senators meet with Taiwan’s Tsai at tense time

By HUIZHONG WU
Associated Press

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — A group of French senators visiting Taiwan as part of a regular parliamentary exchange met with President Tsai Ing-wen during a trip that comes in a particularly tense moment between Taiwan and China. Tsai gave senator Alain Richard an official distinction recognizing “his contributions to Taiwan-France relations.” She thanked him for leading an effort in the French Senate to pass a resolution in support of allowing Taiwan to participate in international organizations like the World Health Organization. China claims self-ruled Taiwan as its own territory and opposes engagement with the island that suggest a separate status, such as WHO membership and meetings with foreign government officials. China has recently increased its military, diplomatic and economic pressure on Taiwan.