Presentations
Global Importance of Taiwan Strait

25th Parliamentary Intelligence-Security Forum – Global Importance of Taiwan Strait

Olivier Cadic

Member of the French Senate / Vice President of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee

August 31, 2023

London, UK

Senator Olivier Cadic outlined France’s enhanced defense posture and its unwavering commitment to safeguarding freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea. He highlighted that under President Emmanuel Macron’s leadership, France has implemented its most substantial defense budget increase in five decades, amounting to €413 billion over a seven-year period. This initiative has propelled military spending above 2% of GDP by 2025. As an Indo-Pacific power with overseas territories and significant economic interests in the region, France recognizes the paramount importance of stability in the Indo-Pacific for its national well-being.

Senator Cadic successfully secured an amendment to France’s military programming law, committing the nation to defend freedom of navigation in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea. He emphasized that the Indo-Pacific region constitutes a substantial portion of the global population, trade, GDP growth, and critical raw materials.

He cautioned that under President Xi Jinping’s administration, China is militarizing disputed territories, constructing infrastructure in contested islands, rejecting international arbitration rulings, and asserting sovereignty over key waterways. Such actions, he contended, pose a threat to global trade and risk escalation, particularly if China endeavors to alter the status quo with Taiwan.

Senator Cadic underscored the significance of the Taiwan Strait as a crucial maritime corridor and the centrality of Taiwan to advanced semiconductor production. He cautioned that any blockade or conflict would have catastrophic economic repercussions, potentially surpassing the global impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

In conclusion, Senator Cadic urged other nations to enshrine in their respective legal frameworks the defense of freedom of navigation and the observance of international law to preserve global economic stability and peace.

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