Staff Reports
One of Macron's favorite restaurants in Paris was attacked by a group of rioters last week, which could have contributed to the president's negative mood during his meeting with Xi Jinping, the dictator of the Chinese Communist Party. During the meeting, Macron deviated from the policy of the United States and essentially abandoned Taiwan, which pleased Xi Jinping greatly. Beijing considered Macron's idea of strategic autonomy to be favorable and frequently references it in dealings with European nations. Chinese leaders strongly believe that the West is declining and that China is on the rise. They believe that severing the transatlantic link will accelerate this trend. In recent years, Beijing's leadership has repeatedly threatened to invade and has implemented a policy of isolating the democratic island in order to compel other countries to acknowledge it as part of "one China."
Report: Chinese Communist Party Thrilled With French President's Defiance of US https://t.co/ha5L8QcttT
— Sam Collins (@SamTexan1986) April 10, 2023
During Macron's visit, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen accompanied him for part of the trip and emphasized the critical importance of stability in the Taiwan Strait. In her meeting with Xi Jinping, she conveyed that the use of force to alter the status quo was unacceptable. In response, Xi remarked that anyone who believed they could influence Beijing's stance on Taiwan was mistaken. Macron appeared to agree with this perspective, stating that since Europeans were unable to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, they lacked credibility in warning Taiwan about potential consequences of their actions. He suggested that threatening Taiwan would only increase tensions in the region.
The article did not mention any remarks from Macron regarding the ongoing US security commitments to the Continent, which heavily depend on American military assistance during the first major European land conflict since World War II. As the sole nuclear power in the EU and one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, France holds a distinctive military position. Nevertheless, it has offered less support for Ukraine's defense against Russia's invasion compared to several other countries, which has led to criticism.
Is France attempting to align itself with Beijing's tyrannical leadership over the United States and the Western world? Macron is asking America to shoulder the majority of his country's security expenses and the defense of a European nation that has been invaded, only to then visit China and cozy up to Xi Jinping while effectively rejecting the transatlantic alliance. US officials should pose direct and probing questions to their French counterparts. It may be necessary to reconsider Washington's relationship with Paris, as some have suggested. According to an editorial note in a Politico article, Macron was reportedly even more audacious and bold in his remarks to reporters, and some of these comments were subsequently removed by the French government.
It appears that Macron's earlier comments were even more agreeable to Beijing, to the extent that the French government opted to remove certain statements from the official record. The CCP is seeking to create divisions within the Western world, and the French President seems content to assist in these efforts. Despite Beijing's threats, Congress has shown its support for Taiwan, which has resulted in the CCP engaging in provocations and tantrums. It raises the question of what Macron's stance will be regarding his new ally's cover-up of the origins of COVID, suppression of democracy in Hong Kong (in violation of international law), genocide of minorities, and other heinous actions. If he is like other Western leaders who are viewed as puppets and pawns, he will likely have very little to say about any of these matters.
