French President Emmanuel Macron is widely criticized for saying that Europe should not become a “vassal” and should not get involved in a conflict between the US and China over Taiwan. Macron released his statements following his three-day state visit to China, where he was greeted with great respect by Chinese President Xi Jinping. This is in contrast to the cold reception received by Von der Leyen. “The Chinese have once again succeeded in dividing Europe,” says European journalist Stefan de Vries.
Speaking to Les Echos and Politico reporters, Macron said Europe should be “a third power in the world order,” alongside the United States and China. Macron’s statements are in line with his vision of “strategic autonomy” for Europe, avoiding military and economic dependence. However, his comments about Taiwan have sparked anger and unrest in both the United States and Europe. “He’s against America, Americans are really angry and call him geopolitically naïve,” says European correspondent Stefan de Vries.
No interest
Macron is reported to have said that Europe has no interest in speeding up the Taiwan issue. “The worst thing would be to think that we Europeans must be followers on this point and adapt to an American pace and a Chinese overreaction.” According to Macron it would be “a trap for Europe” to get caught up in crises “that are not ours”.
“Americans are very angry”
As the conflict between the Americans and the Chinese accelerates, “we will not have the time or resources to finance our strategic autonomy and we will become vassals, taking the third pole [in de wereldorde] it can become if we have a few years to develop this’.
Chinese divide and rule
Macron was accompanied on his trip by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. While he was praised for it by Brussels, critics said this was a prime opportunity for Xi Jinping to drive a wedge between France and Europe, because where China rolled out the red carpet for Macron with a state banquet and a military parade, Von der Leyen received a cold reception and was not invited to the ceremony.
Although the intention was to radiate European unity, the effect has been reversed, thinks De Vries. “Von der Leyen resisted, it wasn’t a success, but it was for the Chinese, they divided Europe again.” According to De Vries, the visit also shows that European unity regarding Taiwan is hard to find – where Macron wants to keep his distance from the island, Von der Leyen previously said that Europe frowns on Chinese violence against Taiwan.
Macron is visiting the Netherlands today, where he will give a speech in which he will undoubtedly return to the topic of strategic autonomy.
“It wasn’t a success, Von der Leyen got involved”
Angry Americans
In a social media post with a link to the Politico interview, Republican US Senator Marco Rubio said that if Macron spoke for all of Europe, the US should consider focusing its foreign policy on containing China and Europe’s war in Ukraine to manage. “Perhaps we should say that we will focus on Taiwan and the threats posed by China, and you will focus on Ukraine and Europe,” Rubio said.
The Wall Street Journal warned in an editorial that Macron’s comments would undermine US and Japanese deterrence against China in the western Pacific while emboldening US policymakers who wanted to scale back US commitments in Europe.
‘Americans call Macron geopolitically naïve’
Angry Europeans
Even in Europe, Macron’s statements do not amuse people. An MEP stressed that the French leader did not speak on behalf of the EU. A centre-right German MP called Macron’s trip to China “a coup d’état for Xi and a foreign policy disaster” for Europe. The chairman of the European Parliament’s Chinese delegation described Macron’s visit to China as a “total disaster”.
Source: BNR
Sharon Rock is an author and journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. She has a passion for learning about different cultures and understanding the complexities of the world. With a talent for explaining complex global issues in an accessible and engaging way, Sharon has become a respected voice in the field of world news journalism.
