French President Emmanuel Macron has called for Asian countries to establish a new alliance with Europe, through open trade and dialogue, and by strengthening cooperation in defense and security to create a stable environment and uphold a rules-based international order.
According to Lianhe Zaobao, Macron stated that the era of non-alignment is undoubtedly over. 'Let us build a positive new alliance between Europe and Asia, based on our shared norms and common principles; we have a mutual responsibility to ensure that our nations do not become collateral damage due to imbalanced connections with superpowers.'
The 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue kicked off in Singapore on the 30th. Invited to give the keynote speech at the opening dinner, Macron spent a significant part of his over 40-minute speech discussing why Asia and Europe should join hands to face the turbulent world.
He mentioned that new tariff policies are unpredictable and have ended rule-based trade, significantly affecting ASEAN and Europe, impacting the prosperity and financing capabilities of these two regions, and even their defense.
'The challenges I just mentioned illustrate that we are in an era where we must face difficulties and also recognize that Europe and Asia are now closely linked, sharing a common fate.'
He believes that borders should not be violated, national sovereignty should be respected, and the rules rejecting the use of force as a means of domination must be upheld. He argued that countries should cultivate an independent spirit and pursue cooperation, which is precisely the genetic makeup of Singapore.
Ukraine Issue Involves Euro-American Credibility
After the speech, when asked whether Europe could play a military role in the Asia-Pacific region, Macron responded that if the United States and Europe cannot resolve the Ukraine issue in the short term, then their credibility in 'pretending' to handle any crisis in the Asia-Pacific region would be very low.
He mentioned that the war in Ukraine is a flagrant violation of international law and is unacceptable. He said Europe is ready to help, provide economic aid, and support until 'the last Ukrainian soldier.' He emphasized, 'Our credibility is being tested, which is why everything is interconnected.'
What Are the Consequences of Not Stopping Russia?
Macron also touched on this point during his keynote speech. He said that if we believe it is acceptable for Russia to seize parts of Ukraine without constraints or responses from the international order, 'then what about the future of Taiwan? What happens if something occurs in the Philippines one day?'
'The Ukraine issue concerns our shared credibility and the need to prove we still have the ability to maintain territorial integrity and sovereign independence.'