仏上院議員、訪台を計画　「戦狼」中国の反発よそに

【台北ＡＦＰ＝時事】台湾は18日、フランスの上院議員による訪台計画があり、中国が「戦狼」外交で妨害を試みているものの、議員は予定通り訪問する意向だと強調した。（写真はフランスのアラン・リシャール上院議員。パリで）
　元国防相で与党上院議員のアラン・リシャール氏の訪台計画に、中国は猛反発。駐仏中国大使は先月、リシャール氏に書簡を送り、同氏の訪台は「『一つの中国』の原則に明らかに反し、台湾の独立派に誤ったメッセージを送る」ものだとして「断固反対する」と訴えた。
　台湾とフランスはいずれもこの抗議に取り合わなかった。
　台湾の外務省に当たる外交部は１８日、「中国政府の野蛮な行為は、台湾の人々からより深い反感を買うだけだ」と指摘。日程は公表されていないが、リシャール氏の訪台は実現すると明言した。
　さらに「中国の『戦狼』外交は、法の支配に基づく文明国には受け入れられないものであり、国際社会からも非難されてきたと考えている」との見方を示した。
　フランス外務省関係者も１７日、「わが国の議員は旅程や訪問先を自由に決めることができる」と述べた。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2021/03/19-18:33）

A veteran French senator is still planning to visit Taiwan, the island said Thursday, accusing China of using wolf warrior diplomacy to try and scupper the trip.
China has reacted with fury to plans for a visit by Alain Richard, a former defence minister and member of France's ruling party.
Last month, Beijing's ambassador wrote a letter to Richard saying China was firmly opposed to the visit, which it said would clearly violate the one-China principle and send the wrong signal to pro-independence forces in Taiwan.
China's communist party regards Taiwan as part of its territory and has vowed to one day seize it, by force if necessary.
It opposes the island having any official exchanges with other countries. In recent years, it has become more aggressive at trying to dissuade politicians from travelling there.
Both Taiwan and France have shrugged off the protests.
The Chinese government's barbaric behaviour will only spark deeper resentment from Taiwanese people, Taipei's foreign ministry said Thursday.
It added that Richard's visit would go ahead, although no date has been made public.
We believe China's 'wolf warrior' diplomacy is unacceptable to civilised countries with the rule of law and has been condemned by international public opinion.
Wolf warrior is a label given to China's more aggressive posturing under President Xi Jinping, a moniker that has been embraced by many Chinese diplomats.
France's foreign ministry on Wednesday also dismissed China's protests.
French parliamentarians are free to make decisions about their own travel plans and contacts, a foreign ministry official said on Wednesday.
Richard chairs a parliamentarian exchange group with Taiwan and has previously visited the island in 2015 and 2018.
China has tried to keep Taiwan diplomatically and economically isolated from the rest of the world, especially after the election of President Tsai Ing-wen in 2016.
She rejects Beijing's idea that Taiwan is part of One China and views the island as a de facto sovereign nation.
Last September, China's protests failed to stop a similar visit by a group of Czech politicians to Taiwan.