French President Emmanuel Macron has stirred controversy by stating that Europe will not benefit from the escalating conflict in Taiwan and that it should become a "third pole" independent of Washington and Beijing. This stance has drawn criticism from both sides of the Atlantic, being seen as overly accommodating towards China, which is conducting military maneuvers near Taiwan.
Macron made these comments in an interview with the French newspaper Les Échos during his three-day visit to China last week, stating that "the worst thing is to believe that we Europeans must become dependent on this issue and conform to the American rhythm or exaggerated Chinese reactions."
Norbert Röttgen, a member of the German Bundestag’s Foreign Affairs Committee, mentioned on Twitter that Macron "managed to turn his trip to China into a PR coup for Xi and a foreign policy disaster for Europe." He added that the French president is "increasingly isolating himself in Europe."
In a video posted on Twitter, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio made a comparison, attempting to draw parallels with the situation in the Ukraine conflict, which Macron wishes to attract China to assist with. The Republican senator suggested that if Europe does not “align itself with the United States or China regarding the situation in Taiwan, perhaps we should not take sides at all concerning Ukraine.”
The spokesperson for the French embassy in the U.S., Pascal Confavreux, stated that Macron’s comments were exaggerated. He tweeted, "The United States is our ally with whom we share our values."
