Macron, China, and the future of EU strategic autonomy

by Loretta Tóth

AMID THE GROWING GEOPOLITICAL DIVIDE BETWEEN CHINA AND THE WEST, EMMANUEL MACRON TOOK A BUSINESS DELEGATION TO BEIJING TO MEET HIS COUNTERPART XI JINPING AT THE BEGINNING OF APRIL – AND THE FRENCH PRESIDENT CAUSED AN UPROAR BY URGING EUROPE TO ASSERT ITS INDEPENDENCE AND STRATEGIC AUTONOMY BY REDUCING ITS DEPENDENCY ON THE UNITED STATES AND AVOIDING BEING CAUGHT IN A DISPUTE BETWEEN THE US AND CHINA OVER THE TAIWAN QUESTION.

added that while some leaders still won't say it publicly, they think just like Macron.

What changed the game and made European politicians more outspoken was none other than the Russian-Ukrainian war. The conflict, which pushed Europe into severe economic difficulties, came as a rare opportunity for the United States to rein in the EU from its pursuit of strategic au-tonomy. The EU is more dependent on Washington than ever before – in terms of security and energy as well.

The international community closely watched Macron's visit to China as it marked an essential diplomatic engagement between France and China. During his visit, Macron expressed support for the One China policy, which is China's long-standing stance that there is only one China, and Tai-wan is an inseparable part of China's territory.

Macron spoke to journalists from Politico Europe and the French newspaper Les Echos, saying that "the great risk" Europe faces is that it "gets caught up in crises that are not ours, which prevents it from building its strategic autonomy," especially when it comes to the US's escalating tensions with China over Taiwan. In the interview, he suggested that the "worst thing" would be to "take our cue from the US agenda and a Chinese overreaction." His statements caused turmoil among proUS and anti-China media outlets and politicians. Still, Macron stuck to his views in-stead of giving up: a few days later, he emphasized the importance of the European Union's strate-gic autonomy in a speech at the Nexus Institute in The Hague.

And he was not left without a helping hand. In response to the outrage, European Council Presi-dent Charles Michel emphasized that EU leaders are becoming increasingly favourable toward Macron's push for "strategic autonomy" from the US. Michel

So it seems that some Europeans are going through a shift in mindset after realizing they are deal-ing with a friend profiting well from the war in Ukraine, and this friend, who is supposed to be an ally, is perhaps a little more selfish than necessary.

Evidence of this is that after Macron's visit, French companies are preparing to expand their busi-ness and trade ties in China – whether Americans like it or not.

The author is an editor of Eurasia Magazine