Europe must limit its reliance on the United States in order to avoid being drawn into a dispute between China and the United States over Taiwan, said French President Emmanuel Macron following his recent visit to China.Emmanuel Macrons China visitThe French president made the comments during an interview on his flight home after a three-day official trip to China. Xi Jinping, the Chinese premier, welcomed him with a grand event, which concerned many European observers of China. In a conversation with the media, Macron suggested that Europe should join the US and China as a third power in the international system. Macrons words on Taiwan sparked ire and worry on both sides of the Atlantic while reiterating his long-term objective of “strategic autonomy” for Europe, which includes avoiding both economic and military ties.“Strategic Autonomy”As per reports, Macron stated, “Do Europeans have the desire to move speedier on the matter of Taiwan” No. The worst scenario would be for us Europeans to believe that we must adopt American ideas and Chinese reactions on this issue and become followers. Once Europe gained more independence during the Covid epidemic, he continued, getting involved in situations “that dont belong to us” might be a trap for Europe. In the event that the battle between the American and Chinese intensified, “we will not have the time, nor the resources to fund our own strategic autonomy and we will just become vassals, whereas we could become the third pole in the global order if we have a few years to build this,” he added.He also stressed the hazards to Europe of the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a $369bn (£300bn) green subsidy package, and excessive dependence on the dollar. But, he claimed Europe had reacted swiftly to come up with “our European IRA”, alluding to plans to enhance local green tech and the production of vital raw materials. Additionally, he asserted that his discussions with Xi had been helpful in addressing “complacency on the part of China with regard to Russia.” According to Macron, the aim of the conversation with China was to “consolidate similar approaches” to the conflict in Ukraine.What America thinks of the French diplomacyThe French presidents “unpleasant words” would weaken the United States and Japanese deterrence against China in the western Pacific, according to a Wall Street Journal editorial, while encouraging US legislators who sought to scale back American obligations in Europe. The newspaper said that if President Biden is awake, he should phone Mr Macron and inquire as to whether he is working to re-elect Donald Trump. According to the report, the controversy also brings to mind earlier disputes, like when Macron claimed that NATO was undergoing “brain death” in 2019 or when he antagonised allies in central and eastern Europe last year by stating that Russia would require security guarantees when it came time to talk about a peace deal with Ukraine.The Managing Director at the research firm Eurasia Group, Mujtaba Rahman, criticised Macrons most recent remarks for their poor timing. It was a mistake for him to make these comments when Chinese military drills surrounded Taiwan immediately following his state visit to China. It will be seen as giving Beijing an advantage in the dispute and approving Chinese aggressiveness.Rahman went on to say that Macrons interview was being viewed as a farewell gift for Xi and was “another futile effort to sweet-talk a tyrant.” Rahman also speculated that Macron might have been attempting to imitate De Gaulle in order to increase his popularity among French voters. The most plausible explanation, according to Rahman, is that Macron was simply being himself, looking ahead in an intriguing way without considering the immediate political repercussions of his statements.
