French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated his calls for the EU to maintain an independent foreign policy in a Sunday interview for French business daily Les Echo.
Published: undefined
"We don't want to get into a bloc versus bloc logic," he said, arguing that Europe "should not be caught up in a disordering of the world and crises that aren't ours."
Published: undefined
The remarks follow a visit to China by Macron and other EU officialswhich included a meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping. Among other issues, the leaders discussed tensions around Taiwan and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Published: undefined
Published: undefined
The French head of state stressed what he considered to be the need for the EU to develop "strategic autonomy," a term used to refer to the bloc maintaining an independent foreign policy line.
Published: undefined
"Europe hadn't built this strategic autonomy for a long time," he said. But "now the ideological battle has been won."
Published: undefined
"Five years ago, strategic autonomy was a pipe dream. Now everyone is talking about it," he said.
Published: undefined
Macron said that the EU's member states should avoid becoming "vassals" and that the bloc could function as a "third pole" in geopolitics alongside the US and China. He warned against following American foreign policy as a "panic reflex."
Published: undefined
France's president also called for increased military spending, saying: "History is speeding up, the European war economy needs to be sped up in parallel."
Published: undefined
"Europe's defense industry does not meet all our needs and remains very fragmented," he said, arguing that this causes the EU to rely on American and Asian suppliers.
Published: undefined
Macron said that it was important for Brussels to "understand" China's reasoning when it comes to Taiwan.
Published: undefined
"As Europeans, our concern is our unity," he said. "The Chinese are also concerned with their unity, and Taiwan is a component [of this unity] from their point of view."
Published: undefined
Macron stressed that it is not in the EU's interest for there to be any escalation of tensions around Taiwan. He warned that the bloc could become a follower of an "American rhythm" and a "Chinese overreaction" over the island.
Published: undefined
Tensions over Taiwan have increased over the past several months. China is currently conducting a series of military drills around the island.
Published: undefined
Published: undefined
On Friday, Macron — together with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and other officials — met with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Published: undefined
The EU leaders hope to convince Beijing to take on a bigger role in attempts to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Published: undefined
Chinese state media had hailed Macron's visit as an opportunity to "inject new momentum and bring new vitality to China-Europe relations."
Published: undefined
The Elysee Palace said that talks were "dense and frank." It also said that Macron was concerned about "growing tensions in the region" that could lead to a "terrible accident."
Published: undefined
AFP material contributed to this report.
Published: undefined
Edited by: Darko Janjevic
Published: undefined
Follow us on: Facebook, Twitter, Google News, Instagram
Join our official telegram channel (@nationalherald) and stay updated with the latest headlines
Published: undefined