TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs thanked French President Emmanuel Macron Saturday for his comments about Taiwan serving as a model to learn from for its response to disinformation from China.

The French head of state made the comments during a two-hour conversation with readers of the newspaper La Voix du Nord in the city of Arras Wednesday. The theme of the event was the challenges democracy faced from social media and algorithms.

During the exchanges with the public, Macron described Taiwan as a democracy sitting next to an undemocratic giant bearing it no goodwill, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. France could learn from the system Taiwan had established to counter disinformation, he said.

The ministry thanked Macron for his recommendation, adding that disinformation attacks had become a common challenge for democracies across the globe. The social resilience and transparency that Taiwan had gradually established could be offered to friendly nations for consideration.

Taiwan was prepared to strengthen cooperation with nations holding similar ideals, including France, the ministry said. The country could share ways of countering disinformation and increasing democratic resilience, and join hands in the fight against fake news, the protection of freedom, democratic values, and the rules-based world order, according to the ministry.