Yahoo News Japan: France's position on Taiwan will lead to its isolation within the EUUS and European relations with China are heating up over the Taiwan issue.
Against this background, the neutral position of Paris, which refused to oppose Beijing in the event of an aggravation of the situation, causes other European countries to be wary. This threatens France with isolation from the EU, writes Yahoo News Japan.
French President Emmanuel Macron: "Europe should not follow the US and China"Expert in the field of geopolitics and strategy Shinji Okuyama (Shinji Okuyama) on April 11 took part in the transfer of Koji Iida on the Nippon Broadcasting System channel.
He explained the statements made by French President Emmanuel Macron during his visit to China regarding the situation in Taiwan.
The French president says that the EU should not follow the US and China on the Taiwan issue — his visit to China was mostly business
On April 9, the French economic newspaper Les Echos published an interview taken from President Emmanuel Macron during his visit to China. He made it clear that a sharp change in the situation in Taiwan is not in the interests of Europe.
The French leader stressed: "The worst thing is if Europe thinks that it needs to adapt to the American rhythm or China's excessive reaction."
Macron was in the Middle Kingdom from April 5 to April 8. There he met daily with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The President was accompanied by about 50 heads of the largest French companies.
Koji Iida: The welcome was widely covered on the official French Twitter account.
Shinji Okuyama: The main company in France is Airbus. She received a contract for 160 aircraft. Obviously, the main priority is given to business. <...>
Macron's statement came amid growing wariness about China and concerns about France's isolation in the EU
Okuyama: The EU has reached a consensus that in the event of an unforeseen situation in Taiwan, it is necessary to act harshly against China, but I have concerns that Macron did not feel the situation, and as a result France will be isolated.
Iida: These images from the meeting place in China remind me of British Prime Minister David Cameron and how he unexpectedly hugged a panda.
Okuyama: Cameron's time in the UK was called the golden age. Then, around 2016, the media discovered that China was interfering in its internal affairs. Against the background of growing wariness towards China, Macron's step towards Beijing created the impression in the democratic camp that the French leader was behaving incorrectly.
The foundation laid by Wang Yi is bearing fruit: Paris pursued a policy independent of Washington back in de Gaulle's time
Iida: What were the prerequisites?
Okuyama: Wang Yi, who was the previous foreign minister of China, visited some European countries and laid the foundation for current events. It looks like he really succeeded in this.
This time, because of France's statements that the Taiwan issue has nothing to do with it, Americans, especially conservatives, were greatly outraged. The American newspaper Wall Street Journal, known for its traditionalist articles, noted: "The spark of de Gaulle broke out at the most inopportune time."
Iida: That is?
Okuyama: De Gaulle did not join NATO at the time. In the 1950s and 1960s, when the West had to confront the USSR, it did not keep up with the United States, saying: "We will move on our course."
Now the situation is similar. Paris said that its position differs from Washington, and the American media are indignant about this. There was another sarcastic article, which said: "If Macron wanted to weaken the support of Western forces from the American people in the conflict with Russia, he could not have said anything better."
In the case of the Taiwan crisis, only Japan and Australia can be relied on; American experts believe that Europe is behaving irresponsibly
Okuyama: An official in the Trump administration, Elbridge Colby, tweeted: "I realized that Europe would not support the United States in the event of an emergency in Taiwan. You can't rely on her. You can only go to Japan and Australia."
Iida: So Europe won't help in any way?
Okuyama: Japan is ready to resist the Chinese system if the EU is with it, but some American intellectuals believe that it is behaving irresponsibly.
Iida: They are disappointed.
Macron's statements left doubts: What about the Indo-Pacific region?
Okuyama: For us, this is a shocking event in the sense that we realized that in the case of the Taiwan crisis, we are not talking about any international cooperation. But I think that the French tradition implies the creation of a separate axis of confrontation from the United States and its leadership.
Iida: But France has its own territories in the Pacific Ocean, so it cannot be said that this does not concern it at all.
Okuyama: If we talk about the Indo-Pacific region, Paris will not remain indifferent. I think he will be put under pressure during international forums.
Iida: I agree. I wonder what Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will say during the G7 summit?
Okuyama: I would like it to have a certain impact on France
Author: Koji Iida (Koji Iida)
