Cross-party legislative delegation led by speaker visits UK, France

Taipei/London, May 15 (CNA) Taiwan's Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) is leading a cross-party delegation to the United Kingdom for exchanges with parliamentarians, policy experts, and overseas Taiwanese groups following a visit to France.

In an address at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), a London-based security think tank, on Thursday, Han said the delegation's cross-party composition reflected both political diversity and unity in Taiwan.

"In the face of a rapidly changing international situation, democracies must deepen exchanges and cooperation to safeguard regional peace and stability," he said.

The 10-member delegation included Han and four other lawmakers from the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT), four from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, and one from the Taiwan People's Party. They departed for France on May 9.

On Thursday, the delegation attended a reception hosted by the British-Taiwanese All-Party Parliamentary Group in Churchill Hall at the Houses of Parliament.

Sarah Champion, a Labour MP, said the group has been proud to support Taiwan whenever possible, citing a motion passed by Parliament in November 2024 rejecting China's interpretation of United Nations Resolution 2758.

Champion said at the event that U.N. Resolution 2758 does not confer sovereignty over Taiwan to the People's Republic of China, nor does it address Taiwan's status within the United Nations or its participation in UN agencies.

Han's delegation is scheduled to attend the annual convention of the Council of Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce in Europe, which will take place in London on Friday.

In France, the delegation held exchanges with French senators at the invitation of Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, chair of the Senate's Taiwan Friendship Group, and met with experts at the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI), among other engagements.