France's new representative in Taiwan says cooperation goes beyond semiconductors
France is deepening ties with Taiwan across tech, energy, and science, a positive sign for both sides as they try to build supply chains that do not depend on risky partners.
- Frédéric Laplanche has taken over as France's top representative in Taipei, a China specialist who has been posted to Taiwan repeatedly since the 1990s.
- France wants cooperation far beyond chips — aerospace, quantum computing, telecoms, AI, energy resilience, and biotech.
- France is selling its nearly carbon-free power system as a model, with most electricity coming from nuclear plus wind, solar, and hydro.
- On Taiwan's push for "democratic supply chains," France agrees countries should avoid leaning too hard on any one supplier or on flawed technology.
- Taiwan's rise is the backdrop: income per person now tops South Korea, Spain, and Japan, and it leads the world in chips and electronics.
Outlook: Fourteen French companies and research bodies arrive in Taipei for the semiconductor show opening September 2, the first test of how fast this partnership grows.