A spokeswoman for the Élysée Palace has dismissed the strong criticism of statements made by French President Emmanuel Macron on Taiwan and the United States. Macron has often said that France is not equidistant from the US and China, she said. “The USA are our allies, we share common values.”
China, on the other hand, is a partner, competitor and systemic rival with whom it wants 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.
In view of the criticism, Macron’s speech on European sovereignty was eagerly awaited in The Hague in the afternoon (4:10 p.m.).
What did Marcon say about the Taiwan conflict?
Macron said in an interview published on Sunday about the Taiwan conflict: “The worst thing would be to think that we Europeans should be followers on this issue and adapt to the American rhythm and a Chinese overreaction.” It would be a trap for the Europeans to be caught in a moment of clarification of their own strategic position in foreign crises. Europe then threatens to be a vassal between the USA and China, although one can be a third pole.
In Germany, Macron’s statements were read as a distancing from the USA and were sometimes heavily criticized. CDU foreign affairs expert Norbert Röttgen said on Deutschlandfunk: “Macron is isolating itself in Europe, it is weakening the European Union and it is counteracting what the President of the European Commission said in Beijing.”
The communist leadership in Beijing regards the independently governed Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic and threatens to conquer it. China seeks to isolate Taiwan internationally and firmly rejects official contacts from other countries to Taiwan.
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. Observers fear the dispute could potentially spark a military confrontation between the two world powers.
