French Office in Taipei Director Jean-Francois Casabonne-Masonnave, France's representative in Taiwan, conferred the decoration on Chang on behalf of French President Emmanuel Macron during a ceremony at his official residence, the company said.
Casabonne-Masonnave praised Chang as not only an outstanding and enthusiastic entrepreneur but also a driving force and friend of France's Aerospace Industry in the Asia-Pacific region, according to the carrier.
Upon receiving the Legion of Honor medal, Chang said StarLux took delivery of an A321neo passenger jet in 2019, making it the first A321neo to be introduced to Taiwan.
The company will then gradually introduce the A330-900neo, the A350-900 and the A350-1000 to Taiwan, he said.
Chang further said that when he worked at Taiwan's shipping and transportation conglomerate Evergreen Group, he strove to promote business ties between Taiwan and France.
He had led the EVA Airways management team to establish Taiwan's first Airbus A330 fleet in 2003, he said, and in the future he will continue to promote exchanges between Taiwan and France, according to StarLux, which was established by Chang in 2018.
The Legion of Honor, the highest French order of merit, was established in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte to recognize military and civilian merit.
The order is divided into various degrees of increasing distinction -- Knight, Officer, Commander, Grand Officer and Grand Cross.
Chang's father Chang Yung-fa, the late founder of the Evergreen Group and EVA Airways, was conferred by then French President Jacques René Chirac with the Officer rank of the Legion of Honor in 2002, the company said.
