The President of the Republic urges Europe to “wake up” and refuses “a block-to-block logic” in the conflict between China and Taiwan.
A diplomatic crisis that does not fail to react across the globe. Refusing to “enter into a logic of block to block”, Emmanuel Macron urges Europe not to “be a follower” of the United States or China on the question of Taiwan, in an interview with the French economic daily Les Echos published on Sunday.
“The worst thing would be to think that we Europeans should be followers” on the question of Taiwan “and adapt to the American rhythm and a Chinese overreaction”, declares the French head of state, in this interview granted on Friday , during his trip to China.
Asked even before the start of major Chinese military maneuvers around Taiwan on Saturday, Emmanuel Macron calls on Europe to “wake up”: “our priority is not to adapt to the agenda of others in all regions of the world “.
A “dense and frank” conversation between the two leaders
“Why should we go at the pace chosen by the others? At some point, we must ask ourselves the question of our interest”, knowing that “we do not want to enter into a logic of block to block”, insists the president of the Republic. Emmanuel Macron discussed the issue of the island with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Friday.
Beijing, which regards Taiwan as a province, opposes any official contact between Taipei and foreign governments. This includes Wednesday’s meeting in California between Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen and Speaker of the US House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy, which sparked the ire of Chinese leaders and sparked three days of military exercises.
Friday, “the conversation was dense and frank” between Emmanuel Macron and Xi Jinping, said the Elysée, reporting the vigilance of the French head of state around “the accumulation of tensions in the region” which could lead “over-accident”.
Constitute a strong European pole
Pleading for “strategic autonomy” to be “Europe’s fight”, Emmanuel Macron warns in The echoes against “an acceleration of the conflagration of the duopoly” China – United States, at the risk of no longer having “the time nor the means to finance” this “strategic autonomy”. “We will become vassals when we can be the third pole if we have a few years to build it,” he argues.
“The paradox would be that when we are putting in place the elements of a real European strategic autonomy, we are starting to follow American policy, by a kind of panic reflex”, continues Emmanuel Macron.
The French head of state was also pleased to have within the European Union “won the ideological battle”: “five years ago, it was said that European sovereignty did not exist”. He pleads to “strengthen our defense industry” and “accelerate the battle for nuclear and renewables” on the continent.
