There are 754.5 thousand Chinese ethnic immigrants and descendants living in France, which accounts for 1% of the French population. Two thirds of France's Chinese population originate from Mainland China, while the rest come from East and Southeast Asia, including 12 thousand French-Taiwanese overseas compatriots.
In 1964, the rupture of diplomatic relations between the R.O.C. and France made Taiwan invisible in French territory. This was eventually mended in 1972 when the Association pour la Promotion des Échanges Commerciaux et Touristiques avec Taiwan (ASPECT) was founded in Paris to resolve the bilateral relationship pragmatically. After years of negotiation between the two countries, ASPECT was rebranded as the Bureau de Représentation de Taipei en France (BRTF).
Despite the small presence of Taiwanese people in France, our overseas compatriots still successfully establish associations all over France to sustain our values and beliefs. Some Chinese ethnic immigrants from Southeast Asia studied or resided in Taiwan during the 1970's, or received Mandarin education in their childhood. These immigrants consider themselves as friends of the R.O.C. Various kinds of associations, overseas compatriot schools and friends make multifarious activities possible during special occasions, and promote Taiwan culture.
In addition, driven by a pious purpose, religious groups from Taiwan strongly promote community service, which entices various ethnic communities to join the activities. These believers prompted Fo-Guang Shan (an international Humanistic Buddhist organization based in Taiwan) to establish its European headquarters in Bussy St. Georges, a small city 30 kilometers from Paris. The establishment of a Tzu Chi Foundation (A Buddhist humanitarian aid organization) branch office, situated in the 13th arrondissement of Paris, is another example of our overseas compatriots' influence in France.
There are 13 overseas compatriot schools in France. Most of these schools use textbooks supplied by the Overseas Community Affairs Council, through which traditional Chinese culture and language are taught to young generations. Some of the schools organize language tours in Taiwan during summer vacation, while the others merrily participate in the Lunar New Year Festival sponsored by the city government. One way or another, the overseas compatriot schools recognize their presence in a diverse, pluralistic society and happily share their culture with the mainstream society.
Update Date:
2023/11/27 Back