French Office in Taipei

French Office in Taipei
Bureau français de Taipei
法國在台協會
Agency overview
Formed 1981 (as French Trade Office)
1989 (as French Institute in Taipei)[1]
2011 (as French Office in Taipei)[2]
Jurisdiction  Taiwan
Headquarters Songshan, Taipei, Taiwan
Agency executive
  • Benoît Guidée[3], Director
Website La France à Taiwan

The French Office in Taipei (French: Bureau français de Taipei) (Chinese: 法國在台協會; pinyin: Fàguó Zài Tái Xiéhuì) represents French interests in Taiwan in the absence of formal diplomatic relations, functioning as a de facto embassy. Its counterpart in France is the Taipei Representative Office in France, based in Paris.

History

The Office was established in 1981 as the French Trade Office, before being renamed the French Institute in Taipei in 1989.[1] This was nominally under control of a private organisation known as the Association Française pour le Développement du Commerce avec l'Asie.[1] It adopted its present name in 2011, although its Chinese language name has remained unchanged.[2]

The Institute also had a technical section, which supervised the delivery of spare parts and other equipment to Taiwan's Navy and Air Force.[4] The section, described in the local media as "a low-key military liaison office", was later closed in 2010.[5] However, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied that this had been a military liaison office [6]

List of Directors

Name Photo Tenure
Marc Menguy 1989-1993
Jean-Paul Réau 1993-1997
Gérard Roland Chesnel1997-2000
Élisabeth Laurin2000-2005
Jean-Claude Poimboeuf2005-2008
Patrick Bonneville2008-2010
Olivier Richard 2011-2015
Benoît Guidée2015-

References

  1. 1 2 3 Pretence of Privatisation: Taiwan's External Relations, Françoise Mengin, in Privatising the State, Béatrice Hibou, C. Hurst & Co. Publishers, 2004, pages 157–158
  2. 1 2 De facto embassies in Taipei folding the flag, Asia Times, 14 June 2011
  3. ↑ New envoy pitches France, encourages Taiwan investment, The China Post, September 23, 2015
  4. ↑ The Taiwan issue in China-Europe relations: an irritant more than leverage, Jean-Pierre Cabestan in China-Europe Relations: Perceptions, Policies and Prospects, David Shambaugh, Eberhard Sandschneider, Zhou Hong Routledge, 24 Sep 2007, page 94
  5. ↑ France to close military liaison office in Taiwan, Taipei Times, June 1, 2010
  6. ↑ France denies military liaison office exists in Taipei, The China Post, June 2, 2010

External links

Coordinates: 25°03′27″N 121°33′00″E / 25.0574°N 121.5500°E / 25.0574; 121.5500

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