France’s President, Emmanuel Macron, recently said that Europe must reduce its dependency on the United States. In fact, he also asserted that Europe should steer clear of the on-going conflict between China and Taiwan. In comments published on Sunday, the French President said that Europe should pursue a strategy independent of both Washington and Beijing.
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Europe needs to become more independent: Macron
Macron went on to add that Europe should not accelerate the conflict. Instead, he reportedly wants the region to take the time to build its position as a third pole between China and the United States. Elaborating on the same, he said,
“The worst thing would be to think that we Europeans must become followers on this topic and adapt to the American rhythm or a Chinese overreaction.”
According to Macron, Europe has increased its dependency on the U.S. for weapons and energy. He urged the need for the region to be more self-dependent and focus on boasting Europe’s native defence industry.
Macron said that Europe might suffer if the tensions between U.S. and China increase due to this dependency. He noted that if the tensions between the two superpowers heat up, Europe will neither have the time nor the resources to finance its strategic autonomy. In such a scenario, Europe might become a vassal, according to Macron.
Macron also spoke about Europe being America’s follower during his interview. He said,
“The paradox would be that, overcome with panic, we believe we are just America’s followers. The question Europeans need to answer is that ‘Is it in our interest to accelerate [a crisis] on Taiwan?’ No.”
He added,
“The worse thing would be to think that we Europeans must become followers on this topic and take our cue from the U.S. agenda and a Chinese overreaction.”