The statements of French President Emmanuel Macron about the European continent’s demand not to be “subordinate” to Washington sparked a battle for the independence of the European decision from America, and raised many questions about the possibility of harmony regarding European dealings with the Chinese file and relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, in light of the sharp international political polarization. And line up an American in the face of one of the largest global economic giants.
Macron considered, in an interview with a journalist on the plane returning from Beijing, that "the worst thing is the belief that the Europeans should become followers or adapt to the American rhythm or the Chinese reaction to the Taiwan file." The French President called on Europe not to “enter into the logic of bloc against bloc,” and urged the Europeans to “wake up,” saying, “Our priority is not to adapt to the agenda of others in various regions of the world.”
These expressions revealed a difference with the approach adopted by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who visited Beijing (Thursday), but her reception did not come with the ceremonial level that Macron received, especially since European diplomacy issued a strongly worded speech a few days ago, in which she criticized the Chinese president. Xi Jinping and his relationship with the Russian president, and criticized the Chinese peace plan aimed at reviving negotiations between Moscow and Kiev, considering that any plan to promote Russian annexations is “unworkable.”
The European positions of Macron and Foden der Leyen reveal, according to political observers, the reality of the disagreement in European positions towards China. The European Union, despite its previous criticisms of Beijing, has not yet reached a complete consensus on how to deal with Chinese politics, in light of the tension between Washington and Beijing, as Paris and Berlin are keen to maintain a solid thread of relations with Beijing, especially in terms of trade. While other countries tend to deal more firmly with China, especially the former Soviet countries that fear Moscow, Beijing's closest ally.
In the opinion of these observers, Macron's visit to Beijing at this time and his statements revealed that the unipolar policy that China and Russia had long criticized is no longer valid, and demonstrated Paris' loud rejection of the economic estrangement favored by the United States as a means of reducing security risks through comprehensive export controls and rearranging oil chains. supply.
Commenting on these positions, a professor of political science at the University of Hong Kong, Jean-Pierre Cabestan, said: Macron showed, in the midst of the worsening Cold War with China, that he was going against the tide, and that he had played the "Gaullian card", referring to Charles de Gaulle's assertion immediately after his victory. In World War II, on his country's independence from the United States, according to what was reported by the New York Times.
Okaz (Paris, capitals) @okaz_online
