President Emmanuel Macron has said France’s position on Taiwan has not changed and that he favours 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 US 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,” Mr 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.
Mr 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 US 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,” Mr Macron said.
Mr 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,” Mr Macron said.
He said Mr 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 US Congress on Taiwan.
The meeting between Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California last week – before China’s drills – was a “provocation”, the diplomat said.
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The Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte, who was hosting Mr Macron for a two-day state visit, said he had a very successful meeting with Mr 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 US is an essential partner for our freedom and safety,” Mr 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.
China backtracked on Wednesday over plans to block some of the world’s busiest airspace near Taiwan, in a rare move that caused confusion over Beijing’s handling of its stand-off with Taipei and Washington.
The Chinese government had notified Taiwan and several other countries on Tuesday that it would impose the no-fly zone between April 16th and 18th in a location 85 nautical miles (157km) north of Taiwan to conduct “aerospace activities”, a phrase Taiwan’s defence ministry said might refer to a satellite launch.
That window of time would have coincided with the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting in Nagano, Japan, which starts on April 16th. US secretary of state Antony Blinken would have needed to travel through the no-fly zone to reach the summit from Vietnam, which he is due to visit this weekend.
On Wednesday afternoon, however, Taipei said Beijing had shortened the duration of the airspace closure to just 27 minutes from 9.30am to 9.57am on Sunday following fierce resistance from Taiwan. – Reuters.
Additional reporting: Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2023