French President Emmanuel Macron objects to NATO’s plans to open a liaison office in Japan and thinks the alliance should stay in the North Atlantic, Financial Times reported on Monday.
NATO’s push to open its first office in the Asia Pacific is part of the US’s plans to get its Western allies more involved in its strategy against China in the region. NATO’s plans to open a Japan office were first reported by Nikkei Asia in early May, drawing a rebuke from Beijing.
People familiar with the matter told Financial Times that France’s position has complicated NATO talks on the Japan office, which have been ongoing for months. A French official said that Paris believes the NATO charter limits the alliance’s geographic range to the North Atlantic.
Macron has said publicly that he doesn’t think NATO should expand beyond the North Atlantic. “If … we push Nato to enlarge the spectrum and the geography, we will make a big mistake,” the French leader said last week.
All 31 NATO members need to agree to open a new liaison office, meaning France could potentially block the move. News of France’s position comes nearly two months after Macron said Europe should not follow the US into a conflict with China over Taiwan.
NATO has had its eyes on China for a few years now, and Beijing has repeatedly warned the alliance to stay out of the region. “NATO’s continued eastward foray into the Asia Pacific and interference in regional affairs will inevitably undermine regional peace and stability and stoke camp confrontation. This calls for high vigilance among regional countries,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said last month.
Make up your mind Macron. Are you the leader of an independent nation or just a vassal leader pretending to be so? If you havent realised you really have no say in NATO deployment, you really are a sorry fellow.
I agree. Exactly what con is Macron running here? I don’t believe for a second that he’s thinking about France. He must be thinking about himself. Perhaps trying to look Presidential, more Euros, more media disregard of his brutal suppression of his population? Whenever he shows up, never expect anything good and always keep him at the far end of an extremely long table. (Sarcasm alert)
I also agree; Macron uses brutal police force to stop the French from evolving to a more perfect union via modern democracy. This public statement by Macron is similar to progressive US politicians introducing feel good legislation into the news cycle.
Don’t forget that behind the Brits the French were the second largest colonial power in the world.
They “know” that part of the world, do not like the Brits (and their idiot kids, the US) reentering that area through NATO and certainly France knows about screwing things up in that part of the world and wars coming from that.
Japan can never be a member of NATO, period. If that happens that will trigger a China total takeover of Taiwan, just as Russia has done with UKR.
I believe the DC Ghouls have been greatly emboldened by Russia and it’s poor showing, military wise, in UKR. War is coming no matter how you look at the situation. The seat of all evil resides in D.C. 🙁
“”Macron thinks NATO should stay in the North Atlantic””
oh the freakin surrender monkey.
we need to change the name of french fries to freedom fries