After Biden-Macron talks, Beijing has ‘no need to be too worried’, analyst says

During meeting in Washington, leaders vowed to work together to address ‘China’s challenge’ to the international order

It comes as the European Union still appears divided over China, and as ties are strained with the United States

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US President Joe Biden meets French leader Emmanuel Macron at the White House in Washington on December 1. Photo: Reuters

Published: 10:00pm, 10 Dec 2022

After US President Joe Biden and French leader Emmanuel Macron met in Washington last week there was no suggestion they would take a tougher stand on China.

It was the first state visit since Biden took office, and the two long-time allies did show a united front – despite strains in the relationship over economic and national security issues.

They vowed unity on Russia’s war in Ukraine and cooperation on green energy, in addition to working together to address “China’s challenge” to the international order.

It was the first state visit of Joe Biden’s presidency. Photo: AP

It was a meeting closely watched by Chinese geopolitical observers, as Biden seeks to align US allies with its strategy on China at a time when relations between the world’s two largest economies are at their lowest point in decades.

But the European Union still appears divided over China – its top trading partner – especially on trade and economics. There is frustration over China’s human rights record in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, and over tit-for-tat sanctions, and the EU increasingly shares America’s scepticism about Chinese technology in its supply chains.

Meanwhile, Beijing has consistently urged European powers to exercise “strategic autonomy” – which it sees as not aligning with Washington’s hawkish policies on China.

Macron has been calling for strategic autonomy since 2017, but also called for more “strategic intimacy” with the US during his visit.

The French president has also voiced European frustrations over US policy. Ahead of the trip, he called Biden’s landmark Inflation Reduction Act – which subsidises American companies in renewable energy and technologies – “super aggressive” towards European companies.