French President Emmanuel Macron said Sunday that Europe should not follow the US and risk a confrontation with China over Taiwan as he was returning to France from a visit to Beijing, where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
In a conversation with POLITICO, Macron discussed his desire for Europe to have “strategic autonomy” and to become a “third superpower,” which he said wouldn’t be able to happen if Europe is involved in a conflict over Taiwan. He said Europe faces a “great risk” if it “gets caught up in crises that are not ours, which prevents it from building its strategic autonomy.”
The French leader said in a crisis, Europeans might be “overcome with panic” and “believe we are just America’s followers.” He asked if a crisis over Taiwan would be in Europe’s interest.
“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 US agenda and a Chinese overreaction,” Macron said.
Increasing US support for Taiwan has made a conflict more likely as China has ramped up its military pressure on the island. China’s People’s Liberation Army is currently conducting major exercises in the Taiwan Strait in response to US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) meeting with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen.
Macron added that Europeans don’t have the credibility to really threaten to intervene in Taiwan. “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’? If you really want to increase tensions that’s the way to do it,” he said.
Macron broke with the US over Beijing’s efforts to push for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. While in Beijing, Macron told Xi that he could “count” on the Chinese leader “to bring Russia to its sense and bring everyone back to the negotiating table.”
The position is drastically different than President Biden’s as the White House came out against a ceasefire in Ukraine ahead of Xi’s recent trip to Moscow and immediately rejected the idea of Beijing as a mediator after China released a 12-point peace plan.
Good for Macron! Good for Europe! Though, if things go terribly wrong we may find ourselves in nuclear war….
But if you just reject all NATO memberships, I’m fairly sure there won’t be a nuclear war. It’s just the war mongers are too entrenched in EU now, the only way to change the trajectory is to overthrow those pro-NATO leaders in EU.
true, very true.
Biden already suckered the French into a proxy war with Russia and now, they don’t want to get pulled into a greater World War. Reminds me of the old saying, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” Macron doesn’t want to be suckered by Biden again so he will get suckered by Xi, instead. It seems the French poodle forgets who is master, right of wrong, is.
When Macron offers peace in his totalitarian attacks on the French people he will be known as something other than a sneaky liar cut from a US pattern.
I don’t believe Macron for a minute. This was a poor attempt to pull China away from Russia. I wish Xi acted boldly like the African leaders when they called Macron a liar to his face recently. Also, with all the unrest in France, I’m stunned to I find Macron displaying his very pointed nose in China! But even when stunned at the size of that pointed nose, I can still type this drivel with 2 fingers. (Sarcasm alert)
He’s a kiss ass talking out of both sides of his mouth.
Or, wars, he is a kiss mouth, talking out of both sides of his a–. 🙂
I replied to someone today with a picture of Nuland and Freeland together, which Nuland posted on Twitter. I made a terrible comment about Satan expecting a baby. Disqus removed it. I guess they didn’t like my religious beliefs? (Sarcasm alert)
lol.
Disqus didn’t remove it, I did — because there was no picture, just a URL that didn’t work.
I copied and pasted a twitter feed from Nuland showing a picture of her standing with Freeland.
Poor little Macrown. I wonder how his marriage is doing? I mean he really needs someone to cry on. He reminds me of the character of Joe Pesci in those Lethal Weapon films, always around, trying to insert his self everywhere and be of some use yet an annoyance whose absence would be a great relief to most. With a country that hates his guts, allies that would backstab him in a heart beat (Aussi submarine deal), a military itching for mutiny, old African stomping grounds rebuking his overtures, Libyans and Lebanese hissing hexes and prayers of Al-istighaatha, you gotta feel sorry for him. The delicate Prince just cannot catch a break. At this point he is just trying to stay relevant…and on the move….it’s too hot in France.
And the nerve to suggest Putin come to his senses. If this were Russia on the ropes having suffered World War casualty figures, this fruit salad Nancy would be besides himself with joy and jubilation. Alas, his country men volunteers are being chaperoned to await God’s judgement by the RF and he copes by making rounds making butthurt snarky comments. This guy is irrelevant.
The line about counting on China to get “Russia to come to its senses.” is what gives him away. No honest operator could spout such specious drivel. He’s just another wily castrati politician.
I assume that Macron and Scholz went along with the attack on Nord Stream because they were pressured to do so. But they don’t have to like it. Spin it anyway you will, but this was an attack on the EU, and people are taking to the streets. The last thing these leaders need is 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 conflict to drain their treasuries and harm their economies.
Macron broke with the US over Beijing’s efforts to push for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. While in Beijing, Macron told Xi that he could “count” on the Chinese leader “to bring Russia to its sense and bring everyone back to the negotiating table.”
When Macron said, “bring Russia to its sense”, I think he was squarely behind the US.
His desire to make Europe a third superpower shows that he at least understands the new political realities. Europe is no longer one.
Now he needs assurances from China and even Russia for protection from the US should he chart out a future independently from the US.
It’s not that Europe is “no longer” a superpower. It’s never been one before. Before WW2, it was split into antagonistic smaller powers, and since WW2 it’s been similarly split — first between NATO and Warsaw Pact, then between the EU trying to be a nascent “United States of Europe” and a US intent on preserving and expanding its influence there.
The EU becoming a unified bloc independent of an outside imperial power would indeed be an interesting development vis a vis “multipolarity.”
That little dictator is just irritating everyone! The nerve he got telling US shouldn’t station nukes in European vassal states! Off with his head.
I mean I have to really wonder, is Joe Biden looking out for the United States best interests or his own investements in Ukraine and China? This is a serious question. His actions couldn’t be better for China, and giving them the world stage to take front center as the “reasonable super power” as the United States keeps spreading turmoil and conflict around the globe.
Just saying..I openly wonder if peope mistook the wrong US president as the Manchurian candidate in DJT. DJT was a selfish greedy fool that couldn’t get out of his own way. JB is much more dangerous in my mind as he has the majority senate and military industrial complex behind his every move pulling on the puppet strings.