Editorial | Europe must consider call by Macron not to follow US on Taiwan
- Comments by French president after Beijing visit are consistent with his country’s foreign policy tradition and echo concerns of Europeans being dragged into disputes in which they have no part
President Emmanuel Macron has caused a stir and even anger in some quarters in Europe and the United States with a call for a more independent French policy on Taiwan, though it does not signal an imminent dissociation from Washington’s provocations and war of words with China.
His remarks, after a three-day visit to Beijing that included two meetings with President Xi Jinping, are consistent with France’s decades-old tradition of asserting foreign policy independence and a leadership role in Europe.
What sets this instance apart is that France is the first major European Union power to say Europe should not just follow the US on the Taiwan issue.
Macron was also the first European leader to make a similar comment following last year’s controversial visit to Taiwan by then US House speaker Nancy Pelosi, not to mention Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s recent meeting with Pelosi’s successor Kevin McCarthy in California.
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Macron said Europe had no interest in accelerating the crisis over Taiwan and must reduce its dependence on the US. “The worst thing would be to think that we Europeans must be followers and adapt to the American rhythm and Chinese overreaction,” he said.