PARIS (AP) — Comments by French President Emmanuel Macron over Europe’s priorities on Taiwan have raised questions over the EU’s relationship with each the U.S. and China, on the eve of his deliberate speech on the bloc’s sovereignty in The Netherlands.
Macron’s remarks have been revealed Sunday in an interview with French newspaper Les Echos and Politico Europe.
“The question we need to answer, as Europeans, is the following: is it in our interest to accelerate (a crisis) on Taiwan? No,” Macron was quoted as saying within the interview. “The worst thing would be to think that we Europeans must become followers on this topic and take our cue from the U.S. agenda and a Chinese overreaction.”
The comments have been made Friday, earlier than China launched large-scale fight workouts round Taiwan that simulated sealing off the island in response to the Taiwanese president’s journey to the U.S. final week.
Macron spoke to reporters on his manner again from a three-day state go to to China, the place he spoke at size with President Xi Jinping, together with about Taiwan, in accordance with Macron’s workplace.
The remarks have drawn extensive consideration on social media, and specialists raised questions about whether or not Macron’s views are according to the European Union’s place and whether or not the bloc of 27 is ready to turn out to be the “third superpower” that Macron says he hopes to construct inside “a few years.”
Asked about Macron’s comments Monday, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby insisted that the U.S. and France have a “terrific bilateral cooperation” and intently coordinate on safety points in Ukraine, the Indo-Pacific, the Sahel and elsewhere.
“We’re focused on … making sure that together we’re meeting the national security requirements of both countries,” Kirby mentioned.
Macron on Tuesday is to start out a two-day state go to in The Netherlands, the place he’s scheduled to make a speech on Europe’s sovereignty, with a spotlight on the economic system and business, in accordance with his workplace.
“We, Europeans, must wake up. Our priority is not others’ agendas in all regions of the world,” Macron mentioned within the interview.
He emphasised the idea of “strategic autonomy” for Europe which he has promoted for years. He warned of what he known as the “trap” that might result in the bloc “getting caught up in crises that are not ours.”
“We don’t want to depend on others for critical topics,” he insisted.
Politico mentioned Macron’s workplace requested to verify the president’s quotes earlier than they have been revealed, a typical observe in France, resulting in some components of the interview wherein he “spoke even more frankly about Taiwan and Europe’s strategic autonomy” getting lower out.
