French President Emmanuel Macron renewed his call for “strategic autonomy” from the United States in the Indo-Pacific, forcing U.S. officials to downplay an apparent rift while China touts a “comprehensive strategic partner” with the oldest American ally.
“NATO has recognized the PRC’s stated ambitions and policies,” State Department deputy spokesman Vedanta Patel told reporters Monday. “They challenge our interests, they challenge our security, and they challenge our values. And allies, including France, have committed to work together to address these systemic challenges.”
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Macron went to Beijing last week with the stated purpose of urging Chinese General Secretary Xi Jinping to undercut Russia’s war in Ukraine, a trip that European Union leaders hoped would show that the EU “stands united, and our trans-Atlantic community remains also united,” as EU High Representative Josep Borrell put it. Yet Macron punctuated his visit with a renewal of his call for “strategic autonomy” from the U.S. — particularly concerning China and the tensions around Taiwan.
“The question Europeans need to answer … is it in our interest to accelerate [a crisis] on Taiwan? No. The worse 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,” Macron told reporters in his traveling party.
Macron’s trip intersected with a visit from EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, just days after she urged European leaders to make a “sober assessment” of the risks posed by China’s pursuit of a “systemic change of the international order with China at its center.” That speech set a frosty tone for her visit, characterized by state media attacks on von der Leyen and diplomatic snubs, while Xi lavished attention on Macron — to the French leader’s gratification.
“[The] personal time Xi is devoting to the visit shows that France is not considered to be a country like any other,” Macron told reporters, per Politico’s European affiliate.
Xi excluded von der Leyen from a state dinner with Macron on Thursday evening. The EU chief used the space in her calendar to give a press conference in which she said that the EU would “reassess” a frozen trade agreement with China due to Beijing’s unfair trade practices. And she issued a public rebuke of Xi’s saber-rattling around Taiwan.
“We all agree that stability in the Taiwan Strait is of paramount importance,” she said. “The use of force to change the status quo is unacceptable. And it is important that some tensions that might occur should be resolved through dialogue.”
Macron made clear his opposition to such statements in his separate interview. “Europeans cannot resolve the crisis in Ukraine; how can we credibly say on Taiwan, ‘Watch out, if you do something wrong we will be there’?” he told Politico and Les Echos. “If you really want to increase tensions, that’s the way to do it.”
Chinese officials hailed his visit as a success. “President Xi and President Macron agreed that as permanent members of the UN Security Council and independent major countries, China and France have the ability and responsibility to rise above differences and obstacles,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said. “The two sides agreed to deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership, fully resume exchanges at all levels and invigorate the mutually-beneficial cooperation across the board between China and the EU.”
Wang added that von der Leyen’s visit was “productive,” particularly for “enhancing bilateral and multilateral dialogue and cooperation, and managing differences constructively.”
Macron signaled his own unease with the “extraterritoriality of the U.S. dollar,” in an apparent sign of unease that the threat of U.S. sanctions might isolate European companies from the Chinese market in the event of a clash between Washington and Beijing.
“If the tensions between the two superpowers heat up … we won’t have the time nor the resources to finance our strategic autonomy, and we will become vassals,” Macron told reporters.
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Blinken’s team maintained that “our shared commitment to democratic principles” forms a firm foundation for trans-Atlantic cooperation concerning China.
“France is our oldest ally, and these shared values have been the North Star of our partnership and continue to guide us today, including both of our countries’ joint approach in supporting Ukraine. This is also the case in terms of the broad concern related to the PRC,” Patel said. “Through the partnership between the United States and France and the partnership between the United States and the EU, we have done a lot of important, great work … and I think that work is going to continue to move forward as we continue to work collaboratively to deal with the growing role that the PRC plays as well.”
