PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday called for a “revision” of the European Union trade policy to defend EU interests, accusing both China and the United States of no longer respecting the rules of global commerce, AFP reported.
In a keynote speech at the Sorbonne University in Paris, Macron accused both the US and China of disrespecting global trade rules. “It cannot work if we are the only ones in the world to respect the rules of trade — as they were written up 15 years ago — if the Chinese and the Americans no longer respect them by subsidising critical sectors,” Macron said.
Macron called on the European Union to revise its trade policy. “Today, our Europe is mortal and it can die,” he said. “It can die and this depends only on our choices,” The French President warned that Europe was “not armed against the risks we face” in a world where the “rules of the game have changed”.
“Over the next decade… the risk is huge of Europe being weakened or even relegated,” Macron added. He pointed to the risk of Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon. He urged Europe to be more a master of its own destiny. He said in the past Europe was over-dependent on Russia for energy and the US for security.
Macron said the indispensable “sine qua non” for European security was “that Russia does not win the war in Ukraine”. Macron said that Europe could not be “a vassal” of the United States.
The French president said he would ask European partners for proposals in the coming months and added that Europe also needed its own capacity in cyberdefence and cybersecurity.
Macron said preference should be given to European suppliers in the purchase of military equipment and backed the idea of a European loan to finance this effort.
Macron also called for a “revision” of EU trade policy to defend European interests, accusing both China and the United States of no longer respecting the rules of global commerce. “The risk is that Europe will experience a decline and we are already starting to see this despite all our efforts,” he warned.
“We are still too slow and not ambitious enough,” he added, urging a “powerful Europe”, that “is respected”, “ensures its security” and regains “its strategic autonomy”.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has landed in Beijing ahead of meetings with top Chinese officials. Earlier, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Beijing and Washington to manage their differences and issues “responsibly” as he went on a charm offensive ahead of expected tough meetings.
Blinken has said that US President Joe Biden expressed resolve to “direct and sustained” talks between the world’s two main economies following years of mounting tension. Blinken said that he thought that it is significant to underline the value — in fact, the necessity — of direct engagement, of speaking to each other, laying out their differences, which are actual and seeking to work through them.
Beijing has not announced plans for US Secretary of State Blinken to meet President Xi, although, on Blinken’s last trip in June, they saw each other in a meeting announced at 11the th hour.
US authorities believe that China is more open to Western concerns as it seeks to focus on managing economic headwinds at home and wants to avert friction with Western countries.
Recently, the US Congress has also approved a law that would force the divestment of social media application TikTok from its Chinese owners or face a ban in the US.
