French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said Europe mustn’t be pushed around due to the rivalry between the US and China, standing by President Emmanuel Macron’s comment that the bloc’s countries shouldn’t become vassals in a global crisis.
(Bloomberg) — French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said Europe mustn’t be pushed around due to the rivalry between the US and China, standing by President Emmanuel Macron’s comment that the bloc’s countries shouldn’t become vassals in a global crisis.
“The president is perfectly correct to demand European independence and sovereignty,” Le Maire said on Europe 1 radio on Tuesday. “Just because we’re US allies doesn’t mean we should be against China.”
The finance minister’s comments come after Macron’s visit to China with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last week, during which he sought to delineate a difference in relations compared with the US’s tougher approach to Beijing.
Europe is looking to strike a balance by engaging with China on trade and investment while demanding respect for human rights and territorial sovereignty for Ukraine, among other issues.
“We are choosing the path of dialog,” Le Maire said. “Isn’t that better than a logic of confrontation and acceleration of any conflict?”
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
©2023 Bloomberg L.P.