French President Emmanuel Macron has urged the European Union to adopt a more independent stance on Taiwan, saying that the bloc should not simply follow the lead of the United States or China on the issue. Macron’s comments come amid growing tensions between the US and China over Taiwan, with Washington increasingly vocal in its support for the island’s independence.
Macron reiterated his calls for the EU to maintain an independent foreign policy in a Sunday interview for French business daily Les Echo.
“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.”
The remarks follow a visit to China by Macron and other EU officials, including meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping.
In recent months, the US has increasingly vocalized its support for Taiwan’s independence, while China has ramped up pressure on the island to accept its sovereignty.
In addition to his call for greater EU independence, Macron also emphasized the need for closer ties between Europe and Taiwan. He said that Taiwan is an important partner for Europe in the Asia-Pacific region and that the EU should work to develop closer relationships with the island nation.
Macron stressed that an escalation on Taiwan was not in the EU’s interest.
“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?”
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.”
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