By Michel Rose
PARIS (Reuters) – President Emmanuel Macron said France’s position on Taiwan had not changed and that he favoured the current “status quo” in respect of the island, after he was asked to clarify comments that prompted a backlash in the United States and Europe.
In an interview with news outlet Politico and daily Les Echos, Macron had cautioned against being drawn into a crisis over Taiwan driven by an “American rhythm and a Chinese overreaction.”
That brought criticism from some politicians and commentators in Europe and the United States, with former U.S. President Donald Trump accusing him of “kissing ass” to Beijing.
“The French and European position on Taiwan is the same one. We’re in favour of the status quo. This policy is constant and hasn’t changed,” Macron told a news conference during a state visit in the Netherlands.
“It’s the One-China policy and a Pacific resolution of the situation. That’s what I said in my one-to-one meeting with Xi Jinping, that’s what was said everywhere, we haven’t changed,” he said.
Macron did not mention Taiwan in his public statement to the press at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing last week, an omission that commentators criticised.
The French leader also said he shared a vision of an “open Indo-Pacific region” with U.S. President Joe Biden, even if they each had their own approach on China.
“I can tell you he wants to avoid any escalation in spite of the current tension,” Macron said.
Macron added that a French military ship had gone through the Taiwan Strait in recent days despite Chinese military exercises around the island and demonstrated France’s robust engagement in the region.
China has never renounced the use of force to bring the democratically governed island under its control.
“So no, France does not support provocations, does not engage in fantasy politics and considers the status quo, respect and clarity are the best allies of European strategic autonomy,” Macron said.
He said Trump’s comments were an example of the escalation sought by some. A French diplomat told reporters earlier that Macron did not want to get drawn into the “tension” strategy of the Republican leadership of the U.S. Congress on Taiwan.
The meeting between Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California last week – prior to China’s drills – was a “provocation”, the diplomat said.
The Dutch Prime Minister, who was hosting Macron for a two-day state visit, said he had a very successful meeting with Macron and did not distance himself from his guest’s comments, but reaffirmed his belief in the Western alliance.
“Our strong transatlantic relation is there for very good reasons, the U.S. is an essential partner for our freedom and safety,” Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said.
“But at the same time, we agree that an open and strategically autonomous Europe should be capable to develop those relations also with other parts of the world. To be a player, and not the playing field,” he added.
(Reporting by GV De Clercq, Tassilo Hummel, Michel Rose in Paris and Bart Meijer in Amsterdam; editing by John Stonestreet and Bill Berkrot)
