The Importance of France and Macron to China
US-scepticism, Strategic Autonomy and EU leadership
Dear Everyone,
French President Emmanuel Macron has just arrived in Beijing and will be joined by the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. Their three-day visit is an important one, which could have an impact not only on the future direction of EU-China relations but also on transatlantic ties.
Macron is a much-liked figure among China’s Europe watchers. He is generally represented as a well-educated, highly capable and pragmatic leader. “Macron never rejects China in his grand strategy, but rather emphasises cooperation with the PRC,” write Wu Yiwen (武亦文) and Wang Shuo (王朔), two professors at Beijing Foreign Studies University. Macron has also been praised for his reforms at home and, more recently, for standing firm in the face of France’s ongoing pension-reform protests and strikes.
Following his re-election last year, a collective of scholars from Fudan University noted that “Macron's victory is not only significant for the EU, but also key to the future direc…
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