Macron’s foreign policy adviser says French president issued stern warning to China over Taiwan invasion
Tom Rogan
The French President’s chief foreign policy adviser has drawn a stark contrast with Emmanuel Macron’s public rhetoric on China–Taiwan tensions.
Interviewed by CNN’s Jim Sciutto at the Aspen Security Forum on Thursday, Emmanuel Bonne said that France will “be with [the U.S.] in case of crisis.” Bonne explained, “What matters most is to deter China from taking [military] action [against Taiwan]. And that was very much the core of the conversation that President Macron had with President Xi in China. And he conveyed very clearly the message that, I mean, ‘you should not do it. That will have a big price, that will, you know, will force us to go for massive sanctions etc. and probably much more. So, I mean, the message was crystal clear and I hope it was well understood.”
This rhetoric is very different to that which was stated publicly by Macron during his April visit to China. Indeed, it is basically the exact opposite of what Macron said.
Macron sparked deep U.S. and Taiwanese concern during his China visit by telling Politico that “Europeans cannot resolve the crisis in Ukraine; how can we credibly say on Taiwan, ‘watch out, if you do something wrong we will be there’? If you really want to increase tensions that’s the way to do it.” The underlying purpose of Macron’s visit seemed to center on his very public presentation of deference to Xi in furtherance of France’s trade interests with China. Recognizing how much Xi values his distancing of Paris’s China policy from that of the U.S., Macron subsequently watered down a G7 statement expressing concern over Xi’s foreign policy.
Alongside a recent NATO leaders statement that was notably more hawkish on China, it is worth asking whether Bonne’s comments in Aspen indicating France is at least slightly re-balancing its China policy closer to the U.S. Notably, Bonne also criticized China for what he said was its provision of military equipment, though not weapons, to Russia. This also aligns with recent Biden Administration rhetoric.
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It will be interesting to see how Chinese state media responds to these comments. I suspect Beijing will issue an angry public repudiation of them. Regardless, Bonne is a very experienced diplomat who is known to have Macron’s ear. As such, his words on Thursday will be welcomed in the White House, Congress and the Pentagon.
They suggest that America’s oldest ally might not be a total lost cause on China, after all.