French President Emmanuel Macron has been in the grinder recently as his nation is rocked by violent protests. The visit of the newly crowned king of England, King Charles had to be cancelled because of the security risk posed by the protests. Following this, the president recently went to Beijing for a 3-day visit where he was to open a dialogue with China’s supremo Xi Jinping. Considering the ramifications of the war in Ukraine and the rising troubles in the Taiwan strait, Europe has distanced itself from China considerably. The French diplomatic mission to China marks the first shift in this norm.
Macron made startling claims after his visit and has received wide spread condemnation for them. The French president, in an interview, stated that it would behoove his fellow European allies to stay out of the brewing conflict between Washington and Beijing. As the two super powers vie for control over Taiwan and the south China sea, France’s stand has seemed to have shifted in favor of the Republic of China. The secondary objective of the visit was to strike deals with the Chinese state and initiate trade with French corporations. While the official line separates the two conversations, most think thanks have said that these economic ties are partially influential in France’s change of tact. During the interview aboard the French Airforce 1, he admitted to having successfully struck multiple business deals on the behalf of French companies.
China’s intentions of severing trans-Atlantic ties are on full display. They have managed to influence Macron to the extent where he has questioned the nature of European relations with the United States. Macron said that in his opinion, Europe should reduce its dependency on the United States. With the conflict in Ukraine almost completely dependent on America and its ability to garner support in Europe, a loss of support could change the tide of the war.
When questioned about his intentions Macron said that if war does break out between the two superpowers, European nations would not be able to guarantee their autonomy as of now. His prediction is that if the current situation proceeds, European nations would become nothing but vassal states to America. He has also questioned Europe and whether it would serve their purposes if they promote a conflict in Taiwan.
Marcon bluntly asked that since Europe has failed to solve the crisis in Ukraine, why would it presume it could have a positive effect in Taiwan? He sees the current status quo as a sure shot way of escalating tensions and sparking a conflict due to America’s policies and a possible overreaction from China if it begin to feel cornered.
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This shift in the French approach is surprising and blatant but not completely out of character. France has been one of the few nations in Europe which dislikes American influence and has taken small steps against it in the past as well. In 1967, France forced the withdrawal of NATO’s headquarters in Paris, siting the risk of growing American influence on French politics. One of the most extreme measures has been Macron’s support for a European army that would nullify NATO and function independently of the United States. It is an interesting idea in theory but considering the lack of Europe’s military capabilities, it is hard to see them gain any traction against the might of the east, without their big brother in the west backing them.
While he enjoyed popular support on his visit to China, something that was carefully choreographed by the CCP, he has returned to a burning, rioting Paris. Protests over his pension reforms continue to escalate and have left the nation rattled. With support for Macron declining steadily, there is no telling how the French will react to his latest comments and stand against the United States.
Ursula Von der Leyen, EU commission head, was part of a meeting with Macron and Xi Jinping in which Xi is said to have stuck to the agenda except on two topics. Predictably, Xi went off script on Taiwan and Ukraine. Von der Leyen stated after the meeting that Taiwan’s security was of paramount importance and that the use of force to change the status quo would be unacceptable.
When paired with Macron’s comments, this shows a possible rift on the European front. American republican senator Marko Rubio has weighed on the situation as well. He has raised questions about where Europe stands on the matter, asking if Macron speaks for the whole of Europe.