International Legislators Condemn French President’s ‘Ill-Judged’ Remarks on Taiwan

French President Emmanuel Macron waits for European Commission president Ursula van der Leyen before a working lunch, at the Elysee Palace in Paris on April 3, 2023. Aurelien Morissard/AP Photo

The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance in China (IPAC) on April 10 denounced French President Emmanuel Macron’s remarks that urged Europe to stay out of the conflict between the United States and China over Taiwan.

IPAC members said they were dismayed by Macron’s “ill-judged” remarks that disregarded Taiwan’s role in the global economy and undermined the international community’s efforts to maintain peace in the Taiwan Strait.

“With Beijing ramping up military exercises in the South China Sea and showing continuing support for Russian aggression in Ukraine, this is the worst possible moment to send a signal of indifference over Taiwan,” the organization said.

During his interview with Politico on Sunday, Macron said that it would be the “worst thing” for Europe “to become followers” on the Taiwan issue and “take our cue from the U.S. agenda” focused on defending Taiwan.

“The paradox would be that, overcome with panic, we believe we are just America’s followers,” he said. “The question Europeans need to answer … is it in our interest to accelerate [a crisis] on Taiwan? No.”

The interview came after Macron concluded his three-day visit to Beijing on April 7.

Politico stated in a disclaimer that some parts of the interview, in which Macron spoke “even more frankly” about Taiwan and Europe’s strategic autonomy, were cut out by his office as part of an agreement made to secure the interview.

However, IPAC members said that Macron’s comments were “severely out of step” with the rest of Europe’s legislatures.

“Monsieur Le President, you do not speak for Europe,” IPAC members said in a statement posted on Twitter.

“IPAC will work to ensure that your remarks serve as a wake-up call to democratic governments to do everything possible to ensure that Beijing’s aggressive stance towards Taiwan receives the hostile reception it deserves from the international community,” the group added.

IPAC is made up of legislators from 30 countries—including the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, India, Japan, and Lithuania—which aim to coordinate democratic nations’ approach to China.

US ‘Heavily Involved’ in European War

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who is a member of IPAC, questioned if Macron spoke for Europe or himself, suggesting that the United States may need to reconsider its approach to European relations.

Senator and Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chair Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), speaks during a hearing on worldwide threats, in Washington, on March 8, 2023. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

“We need to ask Europe, does he speak for them? Because we’re pretty heavily involved in Ukraine right now,” Rubio said in a video posted to Twitter. “We’re spending a lot of our taxpayer money on a European war, and I’ve supported that because I think that’s in the national interest of the United States to be allies to our allies.”

But if the European position is that they’re not going to pick sides between the United States and China over Taiwan, Rubio said maybe the United States shouldn’t be picking sides in Ukraine.

“Maybe we should say we’re going to be focusing on Taiwan and the threats that China poses, and you guys handle Ukraine on your own,” Rubio said.

Pavel Fischer, a senator from the Czech Republic and an IPAC member, said that Macron should have voiced rejection of military aggression in Taiwan during his meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing last week.

“If instead Macron tried to negotiate concessions with the totalitarian regime, he called into question the US-European alliance at the least opportune moment,” Fischer said on Twitter.

‘Massive Propaganda Victory For CCP’

Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), chair of the House Select Committee on China, criticized Macron’s remarks as “embarrassing” and “disgraceful,” which “play right in the CCP’s strategy to divide America and Europe.”

Chairman Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) listens during a hearing of a special House committee dedicated to countering the Chinese Communist Party, on Capitol Hill in Washington on Feb. 28, 2023. Alex Brandon/AP Photo

“I hope President Biden has already gotten on the phone with President Macron to talk about this because this is a massive propaganda victory for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP),” Gallagher told Fox News on April 10.

Gallagher said that Macron’s remarks made war across the Taiwan Strait “more likely by sending the signal that the West will stand idly by while a communist country invades a flourishing democracy like Taiwan.”

“That invites aggression, it actually does not perpetuate peace. And so I hope the French president will realize that. But his comments were very damaging and very geopolitically naive,” he added.

However, the U.S. State Department appeared to play down Macron’s remarks.

Speaking to reporters, State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said the partnership between the United States and France remains “deep.”

“They have been immense partners in our work to address the challenges posed by the PRC [People’s Republic of China],” Patel said. “There is immense convergence between us and our European allies and partners in how we tackle that challenge head-on.”

Beijing launched a three-day military exercise around Taiwan on April 8 in response to Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s meeting with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in California on April 5.

The CCP regards Taiwan as part of its territory and has vowed to conquer the self-governing island by force if necessary. Beijing had warned U.S. officials against meeting with Tsai because it views such meetings as a support for Taiwan’s desire to be seen as an independent country.