France rebuffs China after warnings to lawmakers over Taiwan visit

French senators are free to meet whomever they wish when they travel, the country's foreign ministry said on Wednesday after the Chinese embassy in Paris warned against lawmakers meeting officials during an upcoming visit to self-ruled Taiwan.

China's ambassador in February sent a letter to Alain Richard, the head of the Senate's Taiwan Friendship Group, expressing his concern about the visit this summer. He urged that no meetings take place that could harm Franco-Chinese ties...