After Emmanuel Macron's unsuccessful visit to China, the French president also angered his Western allies over the Taiwan issue.
In an interview with Les Echos, France inter and Politico, published on Sunday April 9, he affirmed that the European Union should embody a
“third way”
and not be
“follower”
of the United States on its policy in the Pacific.
Journalists questioned Emmanuel Macron as China began on Saturday April 8 a military exercise simulating targeted strikes and an encirclement of Taiwan.
The operation was in response to Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen's visit to California to meet with Kevin McCarthy, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.
Beijing considers the island as its province and threatens to invade to recover it, so Washington supports Taiwan against any possible invasion by China.
The French president has distanced himself from support in the United States.
“The question posed to us Europeans is the following: do we have an interest in speeding up the subject of Taiwan?
No,”
he said in the interview, wishing
“to depend less on Americans.”
“Irresponsible” statements
The French president's remarks sparked criticism among some Western countries.
In Germany, the opposition CDU deputy, Norbert Röttgen, strongly denounced the French president's position.
“If we signal to men like Xi and Putin that their aggression is none of our business, conflict becomes more likely.
This is not a deterrent, but rather a temptation.
This is why Macron's statements are so irresponsible
,” he tweeted.
The German President of the European People's Party in the European Parliament, Manfred Weber, also replied to President Emmanuel Macron:
“Anyone who stands for freedom and democracy is not a follower.
For its part, the daily
Süddeutsche Zeitung,
in an editorial, called the French president's visit to China a
"
foreign policy failure".
Refuting any distancing from Europe, the Polish Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, replied that the alliance with the United States is
"an absolute foundation"
of European security.
The director of the Polish Institute of International Relations (PISM), Slawomir Debski, commented ironically:
"Brain death has occurred somewhere, no doubt"
, in reference to Emmanuel Macron's remarks on NATO "brain dead": Washington and Berlin deplore Macron's remarks
Critics across the Atlantic but support from the White House
The French head of state also aroused reactions across the Atlantic.
In a video posted on twitter, Republican Senator from Florida Marco Rubio draws parallels between the war in Ukraine and the situation in Taiwan.
If Europe doesn't
"choose a side between the United States and China on Taiwan, then maybe we shouldn't choose a side [on Ukraine]"
, he wonders.
The American press did not spare the position taken by the French president.
The
Wall Street Journal
editorial called the president's position a "failure
.
"
Regarding the visit as a whole, the
New York Times
said French diplomacy
"undermined"
US efforts to
"restrain"
China.
But Emmanuel Macron's interview had no consequences with the White House.
On the contrary, Washington made it clear that the relationship with Paris was doing well.
John Kirby, spokesman for the National Security Council, said Washington had
"confidence"
in
the "excellent relationship"
with France and between the two presidents.
