Exchanges with France are invaluable for Taiwan at a time when it is seeking international support, not only because of its importance within the EU, but also because the French language is so widely spoken. More than half of the world’s French speakers are in Africa, where China has made headway politically and militarily. In the Pacific, where China has poached allies from Taiwan, there are French speakers in New Caledonia, French Polynesia, and Wallis and Futuna. If Taiwan were to increase cultural exchanges with these territories as well, it could help turn the tide of influence in its favor. France might also be seeking to improve its relationship with Taiwan for strategic purposes, given its interest in the Asia-Pacific region and China’s encroachment in the South Pacific and the South China Sea.
