Politicians in Europe and the United States have expressed their fury after President Emmanuel Macron’s recent alleged “betrayal” of Taiwan.
Various anti-China war hawks in the United States and Europe have lashed out at Emmanuel Macron, accusing him of betraying Taiwan with statements he made during an interview on Sunday.
Speaking to POLITICO, Macron had warned that European nations should try not to follow the United States into any potential future conflict between China and Taiwan, arguing that it was not in the continent’s interest to get embroiled in another war as it fails to get a handle on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Such sentiment has greatly angered lawmakers on both sides of the Atlantic however, with Republican politicians in the U.S. accusing the French President of being willing to abandon a fellow democratic nation to the whims of the Chinese Communist Party.
“If France is truly committed to abandoning democratic nations in favour of a brutal communist regime, the United States must reassess its posture toward France,” GOP congressman Chris Smith is reported by POLITICO as saying regarding Macron’s “seeming betrayal of democratic Taiwan”.
Such a sentiment was echoed by various MPs in nations throughout Europe, many of whom signed a statement on Monday denouncing Macron as being “out of step” with the rest of the continent.
“President Macron’s ill-judged remarks not only disregard the vital place of Taiwan in the global economy, but undermine the decades-long commitment of the international community to maintaining peace across the Taiwan Strait,” the statement read.
“History is a harsh judge of past efforts to appease authoritarians,” it continued. “Unfortunately the President shows little sign of having learned the lessons of the past.”
The controversy surrounding his statement on Taiwan is likely the last thing Macron wants right now considering the raft of political problems already facing the French government.
By far the most pressing issue facing the President is that of his botched pension reform efforts, with his utter failure to deal with anti-government protesters in a respectful and civilised manner resulting in his popularity plummeting within the country.
Unable to back down on the issue, he has even been branded as a “madman” by some in the country’s parliament, with others denouncing him as undermining French democracy with his abuse of constitutional loopholes that allow his administration to push through laws without a vote from elected representatives.
Even those within Macron’s own government appear to be getting a little nervous, with senior figures reportedly breaking rank in a desperate attempt to calm tensions in the country.
Such efforts have so far been for nought, with the next bout of protests reportedly being set for April 13.