Ten days later, the consternation of France’s allies has subsided a little, after Emmanuel Macron’s controversial statements about Taiwan and China. On the other hand, it remains strong among French diplomats. Of rare intensity, the controversy sheds harsh light on the Head of State’s mode of decision-making in the diplomatic field, which he considers more than ever, a year after the start of his second term, as falling within his pre-square, even if it means maintaining strained relations with professional diplomats, or even ignoring the Quai d’Orsay.
The recent episode confirmed that Emmanuel Macron did not intend to change his method. In an interview on the site Politico And to Echoespublished after his return from Beijing, the president had suggested not to show “follow-up” with regard to the United States vis-a-vis China, in particular about Taiwan. “The worst thing would be to think that we Europeans should follow suit on this subject and adapt to the American rhythm and a Chinese overreaction”he claimed, giving the impression that the United States was behind the escalation, as Chinese forces surrounded the territory for military exercises. “We don’t want to enter into a logic of block to block”he said again to better defend “strategic autonomy” of Europe, at a time when Washington is mobilizing in favor of Ukraine.
These remarks, collected on the sidelines of the trip to China, from April 5 to 7, on the plane between Beijing and Canton, had been reread and authorized by the Elysée before their publication. They then triggered a large-scale controversy, forcing the Head of State to recall the official French position during his state visit to the Netherlands: “France is for the status quo in Taiwan”he had said, and she supports “the search for a peaceful settlement of the situation”. Explicit clarifications, Thursday, April 13, by the head of the diplomatic cell of the Elysée, Emmanuel Bonne, during a meeting with European representatives in the residence of the Swedish ambassador in Paris.
Controversial little phrases
The sequence surprised French diplomats, even if they are accustomed to Emmanuel Macron’s controversial soundbites, whether on the ” brain death “ of NATO, the policy of reaching out to Russia in 2019, or on the war in Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion, when the Head of State invited “not to humiliate” Moscow. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, whose incumbent, Catherine Colonna, is moreover not very audible, is often presented with a fait accompli, not without being then asked to carry out the announcements or repair the damage. “The president is doing his own thing and people are tired of picking up the pieces, to explain to our interlocutors misunderstood positions”, says an executive. A weariness which could explain the departure, by next summer, of a figure from the ministry, the director of political and security affairs, Philippe Errera, in office for four years.
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