Emmanuel Macron’s comments to journalists after his trip to China were worse than unhelpful: they were diplomatically dangerous and conceptually wrong
on April 8th once again encircled Taiwan, and fighter jets simulated strikes on the island. Asia is at risk of an armed conflict that could draw in America, and engulf the region in a confrontation with more wide-reaching ramifications than the one raging in Europe. It is a moment of high tension between superpowers, when diplomatic words uttered by transatlantic allies need to be weighed with the utmost care.
Mr Macron’s comments, made to some journalists, were worse than unhelpful: they were diplomatically dangerous and conceptually wrong. Though he later corrected them back in Europe, the damage had been done, to his credibility and the West’s unity. Mr Macron’s first error was to further China’s ambition to divide Europeans and peel Europe from America. The choreography of the trip contributed to both. He had hoped to display European unity, insisting to the Chinese that he bring with him Ursula von der Leyen, head of the European Commission. But that idea collapsed under the weight of Chinese protocol and the doveish Mr Macron’s desire to spend hours tête-à-tête with Mr Xi.
The second error was to undermine allied support for Taiwan. Diplomacy alone will not lower the risk of war. The West also needs to bolster its deterrence, without provoking the very conflict it seeks to avoid. France, with bases in the IndoPacific, contributes more militarily to such efforts than any other European Union power. This weekend, in the midst of China’s drills, it sailed a frigate through the Taiwan Strait. That is to be commended.
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