The press wonders this Tuesday morning about the head of state. How to analyze his recent polemical remarks on China and Taiwan ? And domestically, how does he hope to revive while the pension reform crisis is still unfolding? ?
As for China, Emmanuel Macron again arouses misunderstanding among France’s allies (United States in the lead) », notes The world. “ In question: his new plea for a concept that is dear to him“strategic autonomy” European. Without any recognition for the massive American investment in the security of Europe, especially since the Russian invasion in Ukraine, the French president (in an interview published by The echoes) seeks to express divergent music on Taiwan. “The worst thing would be to think that we Europeans should follow suit on this subject and adapt to the American rhythm and a Chinese overreaction”, he said, giving the impression that the United States was behind the escalation. “If there is an acceleration of the conflagration of the duopoly, continues the Head of State, we will not have the time nor the means to finance our strategic autonomy and we will become vassals when we can be the third pole if we have a few years to build it. We don’t want to enter into a logic of block by block”, he says again. »
Indifference of France towards Taiwan ?
For Release, Emanuel Macron endeavored not to offend the Chinese positions, to the point of sending messages considered as “catastrophic” by many observers. The President draws an analogy between the unity of the European Union and the “reunification” with Taiwan willed, willingly or by force, by the CCP, the Chinese Communist Party, and suggests that the escalation of tensions in the region would be the fault of the United States – again an element of the language of the CCP. Mainly, he uses the expression “crises that would not be ours”, in the name of“strategic autonomy” european “.
Reaction of Mathieu Duchâtel, director of the Asia program at the Institut Montaigne, still to read in Release : “ Emmanuel Macron did not even mention universal values, nor the fact that Taiwan is a democratic regime. With its ongoing military exercises, Beijing is preparing for the conflict and expressing its determination to use force if necessary. To show France’s indifference at this very particular moment is to weaken the posture of deterrence which is one of the elements of Taiwan’s security. »
Finally, regret South West, “ between the lines, the French president makes it clear that the Taiwanese crisis is only a problem between Washington and Beijing, thus making Pontius Pilate his tutor in diplomacy “.
Move quickly to other reforms ?
Domestically now, how Macron still hopes to revive “, point Le Figaro. “ A year ago, the president-candidate came out on top in the first round. Elected for five more years, he ends this first year under a sky heavy with threats: social crisis, political crisis and possible constitutional censorship. We have had a more exciting anniversary. »
Actually, ” no one understands much about this second five-year term, sigh Le Figaro, its ambitions, its objectives, its priorities. This will be the objective of Emmanuel Macron’s next intervention before the French. She must arrive “very quickly” after April 14, the date on which the Constitutional Council must deliver its opinion on the pension reform. Emmanuel Macron is looking forward to it. To get out of the trap and move on “.
For The echoes, the president intends to accelerate. “ If the Constitutional Council validates all or part of the pension law on Friday, we will not have to wait. Emmanuel Macron plans to speak quickly, to “take up the thread” and launch labor reforms, vocational high schools, RSA, the fight against fraud, green industry… His point of view does not change, again says the economic daily : the pension reform gives the real start of the five-year term, when others consider that it has hit the country too hard for it to be possible to move forward as if nothing had happened. »