Macron says France supports status quo in Taiwan

An earlier suggestion by the French president that Taiwan's security was not Europe's immediate concern drew strong criticism from some Western allies and commentators.

President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday that France's position on Taiwan remained unchanged, but he stuck to it to comments he made about the island's security that appalled some allies after he returned from a trip to China and insisted that Europe could not be a "vassal" of the United States. p>

"France's position and the European position on Taiwan are the same," Macron said at a press conference in Amsterdam on the second day of a state visit to the Netherlands. “We are for the status quo. This policy is constant and has not changed."

But he also said he refused to participate in any "verbal escalation" on the island - a position he said was shared by President Biden, who he said has shown "a willingness to avoid any escalation despite the current tensions".

Returning from a three-day tour of China, Mr Macron drew heavy criticism from some Western allies and commentators after he said in an interview with Politico and Les Échos, a French newspaper, that it was not in Europe's interest to "speed up" on the issue of Taiwan, an autonomous island long claimed by China.

"The worst thing would be to think that we Europeans have to become followers on this subject and take inspiration from the American agenda and an overreaction from China," said Mr. ., Macron said in the 'interview. He said European countries must avoid becoming vassals and being drawn into a growing confrontation between the United States and China.

Mr. Macron has made Europe's "strategic autonomy" one of the main thrusts of his foreign policy, and he has repeatedly insisted that Europe must work closely with the United States without depend on it.

“Being an ally does not mean being a vassal,” he said on Wednesday.

While the insistence on European autonomy is nothing new, some questioned the timing of Mr Macron's comments.

They came as the United States provided the bulk of military support to Ukraine in its war with Russia, and hours before China began threatening military exercises around Taiwan in response to a meeting in California a few days earlier between Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and United States House Speaker Rep. Kevin McCarthy.

On Wednesday, Macron said that he had coordinated with Mr. Biden before his visit to China. He said France and the United States shared the same vision of an "open Indo-Pacific region" and the same views on Taiwan, including a commitment to the "One China" policy - a vision that China mainland and Taiwan are one nation - and to peacefully resolve tensions on the island.

"That's what I said one-on-one to the president; that's what I said everywhere,” Macron added, referring to Xi Jinping, China's top leader. “We haven't changed. the right to think for yourself and go follow those who have the toughest positions in a country with which you are allied."