The timing has something to smile about.
From April 9 to 10, a French frigate crossed the Taiwan Strait in the midst of encirclement exercises conducted by China around Taiwan, according to information from Challenges, confirmed to Le Figaro by a well
-
informed
source
.
From April 9 to 10, the Prairial
surveillance frigate
sailed in this maritime corridor, the day after Emmanuel Macron's three-day state visit to China.
The Chinese maneuvers, which aimed to intimidate Taiwan, concluded on Monday April 10 "
successfully
", Beijing said.
The presence of the tricolor ship in this sector "
clearly demonstrates our commitment to an open Indo-Pacific, without provocation, without escalation, with respect and with clarity
", Emmanuel Macron said on April 12, during a state visit to the The Netherlands.
Significant presence of French ships in the South China Sea
These remarks by the president were aimed in particular at clarifying the interview given to the American site Politico and to the daily newspaper
Les Échos
, published on his return to France, which had caused an outcry among our European and American allies.
The Head of State claimed there “
strategic autonomy
” from the European Union on the question of Taiwan and urged the Twenty-Seven not to “
be followers
” of Washington and Beijing.
“
Emmanuel Macron implied that we had no interest in defending in the region, when we have always demonstrated that we were present there
”, explains a fine connoisseur of China, who points in the words of the preside over a "
contradiction with French doctrine
".
Read alsoOnce Macron leaves China, Beijing puts pressure on Taiwan
The presence of the frigate
Prairial
in the Taiwan Strait is the most striking example of this.
His time in the sector is not an extraordinary event.
The
Prairial
, like the
Vendémiaire
of the same class, regularly patrols the area.
The naval diplomacy and training mission Joan of Arc also passes through the region often.
The amphibious helicopter carrier (PHA)
Dixmude
, accompanied by the frigate
La Fayette
, left Toulon on February 8 for a world tour which will see them cross the South China Sea.
In 2021, the Emerald
nuclear attack submarine
was also deployed there.
Real interests in the region
The military but non-aggressive presence of these buildings of great importance “
demonstrates what France is capable of doing, and that it can in particular deploy very quickly
”, underlines our interlocutor.
On April 8, the multi-mission frigate
Lorraine
also left for Japan, for a qualification deployment, in order to be admitted to active service.
All these deployments demonstrate that France has real interests in the region, and that it intends to demonstrate its presence.
Read alsoWhy France cannot ignore Taiwan
By sailing in the Taiwan Strait, the French Navy is also fully asserting its freedom of action.
Because many military ships carefully avoid the area, for fear of irritating China.
However, the area is an international waterway.
But in June 2022, the Chinese Foreign Ministry had ruled that China had "
sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the Taiwan Strait
".
Before crossing the Taiwan Strait, the frigate
Prairial
in any case stopped at the port of Haiphong, Vietnam, from April 2 to 6, where it conducted a “
PASSEX
” exercise with the Vietnamese navy.
If the purpose of the frigate is not known, it could be joint training with Japan, or a mission to enforce the international arms embargo in North Korea.
