Taiwan's first female envoy to France assumes post

Paris, Sept. 10 (CNA) Taiwan's new representative to France Hao Pei-chih (郝培芝) said she would open up more space on the international stage through economic, trade, and technology diplomacy based on the foundation laid by her predecessor, François Wu (吳志中).

Hao, Taiwan's first female representative to France, made the remarks in an interview with CNA on Sunday on the sidelines of an event organized by the Overseas Community Affairs Council.

The former head of the Civil Service Protection and Training Commission assumed her new position on Sept. 1 to fill the vacancy left by Wu, who became deputy minister of foreign affairs last month.

Hao said she was feeling a lot of pressure starting the new job but later found great support from the compatriot communities and colleagues in the representative office in France.

Lauding Wu for having achieved some significant breakthroughs between Taiwan and France, as well as his mastery of French in mainstream media appearances, Hao said her predecessor had elevated Taiwan's visibility in French society during his tenure.

"Now everyone knows Taiwan and has a very positive perception of Taiwan," she said.

"Ambassador Wu has set a high threshold. He is a legend and a ceiling. He has performed so well that anyone who follows him will have difficulty" reaching the threshold.

As his successor, Hao said she would continue to expand more room for Taiwan in the diplomatic arena.

Asked about the future direction she will take in promoting Franco-Taiwanese relations, Hao said she would further promote "economic, trade and technological diplomacy."

While all aspects of France and China are based on diplomatic relations, France knows that Taiwan is an important cooperative partner and it has adopted a "parallel treatment" policy and attitude in many areas toward the two sides across the Taiwan Strait, she said.