Taiwanese Parliament speaker ashes out at Macron’s ‘vassal’ comments

Taiwanese leaders have questioned whether or not Emmanuel Macron still adheres to the principles of liberty, equality, and fraternity. French President Emmanuel Macron has issued a warning to Europe against getting sucked into a crisis over the island nation that was sparked by "an American rhythm and a Chinese overreaction," the Independent reported.  

Along with Beijing and Washington, he urged the European Union to become a "third pole" in international affairs and lessen its reliance on the US. Macron made the remarks in an interview while coming back to France from a trip to China intended to demonstrate the cohesion of European policy towards China.

The speaker of the Taiwanese parliament, You Si-kun, posted a screenshot of an article about Mr. Macron's remarks on Taiwan on Facebook Tuesday evening and questioned France's commitment to freedom.

“Are ‘liberté, égalité, fraternité’ out of fashion?,“ asks Taiwan leader

“Are ‘liberté, égalité, fraternité’ out of fashion?,“ the Taiwanese leader wrote, referring to the official French motto of “liberty, equality, fraternity”. “Is it OK just to ignore this once it’s part of the constitution? Or can advanced democratic countries ignore the lives and deaths of people in other countries?” he added. “The actions of President Macron, a leading international democracy, leave me puzzled.”

Macron questioned if it was in France's best interest to participate in the Taiwan dispute during an interview with the French newspaper Les Echos and Politico Europe on Monday. “The question we need to answer, as Europeans, is the following: is it in our interest to accelerate [a crisis] on Taiwan? No,” he said.

“The worst 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 claimed that becoming involved in issues "that are not ours" would be "a trap for Europe." If the confrontation between the US and China worsens, he added, "we will become vassals" since we won't have the time or the resources "to finance our own strategic autonomy."

Europe "could become the third pole [in the global order]": Macron 

He added that if given some time to develop, Europe "could become the third pole [in the global order]". In line with Beijing's "One China" policy and its claims over Taiwan, France, like the majority of other nations, has no diplomatic ties to Taiwan.

However, France does have a de facto embassy there and has emphasised, along with other US allies, the importance of maintaining calm in the Taiwan Strait, where China recently conducted three-day drills in reaction to the Taiwanese president's US visit.

The French president's trip to China was criticised by former British Prime Minister Liz Truss as a "sign of weakness" in the. Truss is scheduled to speak at the Heritage Foundation think tank in Washington, where she is anticipated to claim that China and Russia are "allies against Western capitalism," according to The Guardian.

“That is why Western leaders visiting President Xi to ask for his support in ending the war is a mistake and it is a sign of weakness. Instead our energies should go into taking more measures to support Taiwan. We need to make sure Taiwan is able to defend itself. We need to put economic pressure on China before it is too late.”