Official Beijing has publicly criticized as "double standards" French leader Emmanuel Macron's attempts to link Ukraine's defense with the need to protect Taiwan from Chinese invasion.
Points of attention
- Macron's diplomatic statement at the annual meeting raises tensions between China and France, prompting an official complaint from the Chinese authorities.
- The clash over Macron's remarks reveals the complex geopolitics of the region and the challenges in managing relations between major powers.
Macron comes under fire from China
During a new speech about the risks of a split between the PRC and the US, the French president asked:
If Russia is allowed to take over any part of Ukraine without hindrance, what might happen to Taiwan?
Emmanuel Macron
President of France
After that, the Chinese authorities officially complained that comparing the Taiwan issue with the Ukraine issue was "unacceptable."
These two issues are different in nature and cannot be compared at all… If someone tries to condemn double standards with double standards, the only result we can get is still double standards,” the Chinese embassy said.
Although the diplomatic statement does not directly mention Macron, it is accompanied by a photo of him speaking at the event.
What is important to understand is that Beijing has recently sent defense ministers and other senior military officials to the annual meeting, which ends on Sunday, but this year it sent a relatively small delegation of military academics.
