Benudar Tension (2023) Season 01

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The total or partial reproduction of an article, without the prior written authorization of Le Monde, is strictly forbidden. Ten days later, the dismay from France’s allies at Emmanuel Macron’s controversial comments on Taiwan and China has subsided somewhat, but the same feeling remains strong among French diplomats. This unusually intense controversy casts a harsh light on the president’s decision-making process on diplomatic matters. One year into his second term, he is more adamant than ever that they fall under his purview, even if it means straining his relations with career diplomats and even ignoring the Foreign Ministry.

This recent episode confirmed that President Macron does not intend to change his ways. In an interview with Politico, the newspaper Les Echos and radio France Inter made public after his return from Beijing, the president suggested that France should not be “followers” of the United States in dealing with China, particularly on the issue of Taiwan. “The worse thing would be to think that we Europeans must become followers on this topic and take our cue from the US agenda and a Chinese overreaction,” he declared, seemingly implying that the United States was behind the escalation while Chinese forces were encircling Taiwan for military exercises. “We don’t want to get into a bloc versus bloc logic,” he said, to defend Europe’s “strategic autonomy” at a time when Washington is mobilizing to defend Ukraine.

These comments during his trip to China from April 5 to 7 on the plane between Beijing and Canton were checked and authorized by the Elysée Palace Benudar Tension before their publication. They triggered a major controversy that forced the president to reiterate France’s official stance during his state visit to the Netherlands in the following days: “France is in favor of the status quo in Taiwan,” he said, and supported “the quest for a peaceful settlement of the situation.” These clarifications were made explicit on Thursday, April 13, by Emmanuel Bonne, head of the Elysée’s diplomatic unit, during a meeting with European representatives at the Swedish ambassador’s residence in Paris.