French President Emmanuel Macron has begun a multi-day state visit to the United States. At the start of the trip, Macron visited the headquarters of the US space agency Nasa in Washington together with US Vice President Kamala Harris.
US President Joe Biden will receive his French counterpart at the White House on Thursday. Macron is the first foreign guest of state in Biden’s tenure. The US government describes France as the “oldest ally” and praises Macron’s commitment after the Russian invasion of Ukraine and with a view to system rival China. However, there are likely to be points of contention between Biden and Macron.
Harris praised France as a “key partner” of the US at the meeting with Macron. The two emphasized the cooperation between the two countries in space travel. Macron said space is a new place of conflict and there are “crazy actors” there too. Cooperation between countries such as France and the USA, which have historical ties, feel equally connected to science and share democratic values, is all the more important.
In the evening, Macron first wanted to meet Biden for an informal meal before the big official part of the visit follows on Thursday. In contrast to regular work trips, state visits are accompanied by special formal pomp, such as a state banquet scheduled for Thursday evening (local time/Friday night CET) in the White House.
Ukraine war will be main topic
The US government announced in advance that the talks between Biden and Macron would focus on the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. Other topics are China, Iran, the Indo-Pacific and joint economic cooperation, for example in the energy sector. France is at the center of many of these issues, said White House communications director John Kirby. Macron is “a dynamic leader” within the G7 group of economically strong democracies, “especially in Europe”. Therefore, Biden chose him as a guest for the first state visit.
Ex-President Donald Trump also received Macron as the first state guest of his term. In 2018, the French leader was greeted with military honors outside the White House. At that time he spoke before both chambers of the US Congress. A similar honor was bestowed on French President Charles de Gaulle in 1960.
Paris: realign US and European strategies
For Macron, the current visit is about America and Europe joining forces in the face of the major crises – in addition to the war in Ukraine, the energy issue and climate change pose major problems for the allies. The strategies of the USA and Europe would have to be reconciled, also with regard to common interests towards China, it was said from the Élysée Palace. There is no consensus at all on American protectionism. Economically, Europe is bearing the brunt of the sanctions against Russia, while US companies are benefiting from significantly lower energy costs – which threatens to widen the gap between the two partners, according to Paris sources.
Discussion also about the anti-inflation law
The foreseeable point of conflict will be the so-called Inflation Reduction Act, the anti-inflation law with which the USA wants to boost its industry and give it preference over foreign competitors. Although France has already called for steps to give preference to European companies as a countermeasure, Macron is said to have little chance of stopping the American plans completely. Rather, he is probably hoping to obtain exemptions from Biden for a number of European industries, as has already been agreed with Mexico and Canada.
Kirby said the US side expects Macron to address the anti-inflation bill. The US government is aware of the concerns of the European partners and remains open to listening to them. “We welcome this discussion.”
Last year, relations between the two NATO partners crunched because France lost billions in submarine business because of a new US-led security alliance in the Indo-Pacific. At that time, Harris had traveled to Paris to smooth things over.
Macron is accompanied on the trip by his wife Brigitte and several ministers. After the program in Washington, he wants to travel on to the metropolis of New Orleans in the US state of Louisiana. The area in the south of the USA is particularly French.
