French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday said that Paris’ position on Taiwan had not changed and that he favored the “status quo,” after he was asked to clarify comments that prompted a backlash in the US and Europe.
In an interview with news outlet Politico and daily Les Echos, Macron 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 US, with former US president Donald Trump accusing him of “kissing ass” to Beijing.
Photo: AFP
“The French and European position on Taiwan is the same one. We’re in favor 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 [Chinese President] Xi Jinping (習近平); 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 criticized.
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,” Macron said.
He said that 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 President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California last week was a “provocation,” the diplomat said.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who was hosting Macron for a two-day state visit, said he had a very successful meeting 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,” 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.”
Macron also confirmed that a French military ship had sailed through the Taiwan Strait in recent days, demonstrating France’s robust engagement in the region.
The Ministry of National Defense on Wednesday said it was aware of the transit.
Without identifying the ship, General Yen Yu-hsien (顏有賢) of the Office of Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence confirmed the passage, but did not elaborate.
Yen’s remarks partially confirmed the passage by Prairial, a Floreal-class surveillance frigate of the French Navy, reportedly from late Sunday to early Monday, the Chinese-language online news site RWMedia reported early on Wednesday.
Prairial transited through the Taiwan Strait to the East China Sea as part of its upcoming participation in the Enforcement Coordination Cell mission, said the multilanguage blog “MariTimesCrimes,” which provides information on maritime crimes and issues, on Monday.
The last time Paris confirmed a warship transit of the Taiwan Strait was in October 2021 by intelligence vessel Dupuy-de-Lome and prior to that, by side frigate Vendemiaire in April 2019.
Additional reporting by CNA
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday that it will revoke the dependent-based residence permit of a Chinese social media influencer who reportedly “openly advocated for [China’s] unification through military force” with Taiwan. The Chinese national, identified by her surname Liu (劉), will have her residence permit revoked in accordance with Article 14 of the “Measures for the permission of family- based residence, long-term residence and settlement of people from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area,” the NIA said in a news release. The agency explained it received reports that Liu made “unifying Taiwan through military force” statements on her online
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck off Taitung County at 1:09pm today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 53km northeast of Taitung County Hall at a depth of 12.5km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Taitung County and Hualien County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Nantou County, Chiayi County, Yunlin County, Kaohsiung and Tainan, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage following the quake.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) is to begin his one-year alternative military service tomorrow amid ongoing legal issues, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. Wang, who last month was released on bail of NT$150,000 (US$4,561) as he faces charges of allegedly attempting to evade military service and forging documents, has been ordered to report to Taipei Railway Station at 9am tomorrow, the Alternative Military Service Training and Management Center said. The 33-year-old would join about 1,300 other conscripts in the 263rd cohort of general alternative service for training at the Chenggong Ling camp in Taichung, a center official told reporters. Wang would first
MINOR DISRUPTION: The outage affected check-in and security screening, while passport control was done manually and runway operations continued unaffected The main departure hall and other parts of Terminal 2 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport lost power on Tuesday, causing confusion among passengers before electricity was fully restored more than an hour later. The outage, the cause of which is still being investigated, began at about midday and affected parts of Terminal 2, including the check-in gates, the security screening area and some duty-free shops. Parts of the terminal immediately activated backup power sources, while others remained dark until power was restored in some of the affected areas starting at 12:23pm. Power was fully restored at 1:13pm. Taoyuan International Airport Corp said in a
RSS