After his visit to China, French President Macron caused irritation with statements about Taiwan.
The reactions from Berlin are disapproving.
Berlin/Paris/Taipei – Some German politicians reacted indignantly to Emmanuel Macron's words.
After his three-day trip to China, he had campaigned for Europe to play a more independent role in relation to the USA and China and demanded that Europe should not be a “follower” on the Taiwan question.
In political Berlin, people were appalled.
"Macron seems to have been abandoned by all good spirits," said CDU foreign politician Norbert Röttgen, for example.
“While it is America, and not France or Germany, that is providing significant support to Ukraine and thereby defending Europe, Macron is calling for a departure from America.
While China is currently practicing the attack on Taiwan, Macron is demanding a rapprochement with China," Röttgen told
Bild
.
With such “naïve and dangerous rhetoric”, Macron weakens and divides Europe.
The issue of Taiwan stands for China's claim to global power, a world order based on Chinese ideas is not in Europe's interest.
After Macron's Taiwan statements: Röttgen has been criticized
Röttgen continued on
Deutschlandfunk
: “Macron is isolating himself in Europe, he is weakening the European Union and he is thwarting what the President of the European Commission said in Beijing,” he said, referring to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen .
"I think talking about European sovereignty has no relation to reality." One only has to apply these speeches in the case of Ukraine and ask whether France or Europe is actually protecting European security or whether it's the Americans again.
According to Röttgen, the USA would be “very happy” if the Europeans were better able to guarantee European security themselves.
“Again, shamefully, we are not.
And France's contributions in support of Ukraine are modest.
They really have nothing to do with sovereignty and the rhetoric of the French President,” said the CDU foreign expert.
Taiwan conflict: Macron's statements cause outrage
The French President also received no praise from the SPD.
The party's foreign policy officer, Metin Hakverdi, told the
Tagesspiegel
that it was "a grave mistake" for the West to allow itself to be divided when it came to dealing with Beijing.
"That weakens our Western community of values," says Hakverdi.
"Towards China, the West, that is Europe and the USA, must always try to act together, not divided." And the CDU European politician Christoph Ploß also rejected Macron's proposal.
"If Macron is now striving for a separate path for Europe without the close alliance with the USA, that would be fatal," Ploß told the
Tagesspiegel
.
The USA is Germany's most important partner outside of Europe.
Criticism also rained down from the chairman of the European People's Party (EPP), Manfred Weber.
"Anyone who stands up for freedom and democracy is not a follower," he clarified.
The EU states made themselves unbelievable "if, on the one hand, you demand sovereignty for Europe and then conclude every economic deal you can get with China," he told the newspapers of the
Bayern media group
.
"The Chinese leadership will not respect the Europeans like that," emphasized the EPP leader.
Sharp criticism of Macron: Not from the left
On the other hand, Dietmar Bartsch, leader of the left parliamentary group, seemed to be alone.
In contrast to most of his political colleagues, he supported Macron's initiative.
His desire for strategic independence for Europe is a goal worth striving for, provided it is linked to the goal of becoming the world's peace power.
Macron made his controversial statements about Taiwan, China and the US in an interview in the French newspaper
Les Echos.
"The worst thing would be to think that we Europeans are followers and have to adapt to the American rhythm and a Chinese overreaction," said the French leader.
Europe must "wake up".
He made a similar statement to the US magazine
Politico on his return flight from China
.
It seemed important to him that Europe finds its own line in the Taiwan conflict.
"Our priority cannot be to adapt to the agenda of others in all regions of the world," said Macron.
Europe risks "becoming vassals, while we can be the third pole if we have a few years to build it up," he said.
China and Taiwan: That's what the conflict is about
China and Taiwan: That's what the conflict is about
Paris rejects accusations against Macron: "Share common values" with the USA
Meanwhile, Paris rejected international criticism of the president.
A spokeswoman for the Élysée Palace said Macron has often said that France is not equidistant from the US and China.
She said, "The US is our allies, we share common values." China, on the other hand, is a partner, competitor and systemic rival with whom they want to create a common agenda to reduce tensions and address global issues, the spokeswoman said.
France also supports the status quo on the subject of Taiwan.
Macron has clearly said to China's head of state and party leader Xi Jinping that the Taiwan question must be clarified through dialogue.
According to reports, Macron's state visit to the People's Republic of China was also accompanied by the conclusion of some economic contracts.
Apparently, the European aircraft manufacturer Airbus, among others, signed a promising contract: it wants to double its production in China.
EDF is also taking a stake in an offshore wind farm in Jiangsu, and Alstom, L'Oréal and other French companies have also signed contracts.
During his visit to China, Macron also advocated a relaunch of Franco-Chinese economic relations.
Taiwan conflict: China's military maneuvers led to instability in the region
Macron's words also came at an inopportune time for many in view of the Chinese military's three-day exercise near Taiwan.
The maneuvers were probably a reaction by China to the US visit by Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen.
The Taiwanese Ministry of Defense spoke of a record number of military aircraft around the island.
Taiwan's president said Chinese military maneuvers have created instability in the region.
The government in Beijing regards the democratically governed Taiwan as a breakaway province and sees meetings between Taiwanese top politicians and Western politicians as a departure from the one-China principle.
Taiwan sees itself as an independent republic and has been self-governing since 1949.
China has repeatedly threatened to conquer it.
The Taiwan conflict is a key issue between China and the United States.
Washington has been committed to the island's defense capability since 1979, which has so far mostly meant arms deliveries.
(ale/dpa)