Following a recent trip to Beijing, French President Emmanuel Macron has now suggested that Europe should not follow the US logic that Taiwan is an independent country from China, suggesting that the Eastern conflict is not one Europeans should get involved in.
The news comes shortly after Beijing condemned Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen for meeting with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy two weeks ago. As a result, China has been flying warplanes around Taiwan in an apparent show of intimidation. Beijing has also placed sanctions on Taiwan’s ambassador the US.
Macron said in a Sunday interview: “We don’t want to get into a bloc versus bloc logic.” He added that Europe “should not be caught up in a disordering of the world and crises that aren’t ours,” per Fox News.
"The question asked of us Europeans is the following: is it in our interest for there to be acceleration on the topic of Taiwan? No. The worst thing we Europeans could do would be to be followers on this topic and to adapt to the American rhythm and a Chinese overreaction. Why should we go at a rhythm chosen by someone else?"
This comes after Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in March, suggesting that they were prepared to diverge from the “unipolar” political strategy that has been controlled by Washington.
Macron continued: “As Europeans, our concern is our unity,” adding that the “Chinese are also concerned with their unity, and Taiwan is a component [of this unity] from their point of view.” However, it does not mean that Taiwan is necessarily part of China simply because Beijing claims it is.
However, Macron may not be the best leader to suggest what is best for Europe, as France has been set ablaze amid riots following the government’s immensely unpopular pension reform bill, which is set to change the retirement age by two years, from 62 to 64. Though much of Paris has been damaged, it appears Macron is willing to continue letting the capital city burn.
China has made it known that they are now willing “to fight” after three days of large-scale military drills around Taiwan. The training apparently focused on sealing off the island, but the US has taken note, with Michael McCaul (R-TX), the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, supporting the idea of sending more weapons to Taiwan.
McCaul said: "They’re not where they need to be. If we want deference for peace, we need to get these weapons into Taiwan.”
"I sign off on all foreign military weapons sales. Twenty-two weapons systems over three years ago checked that have yet to get into Taiwan, into the island. That will provide deterrence to Chairman Xi to think twice about an invasion."
