Cheese-eating surrender Monkeys

French President Emmanuel Macron shocked many democratic leaders and foreign policy observers when he suggested last week that Europe not support Taiwan in the face of naked aggression from the Chinese Communist Party.

The ostensible reason for the French president’s visit to China was to lobby Xi Jinping to persuade Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine. Given the strategic embrace between the Chinese and Russian leaders, and the CCP’s support for Moscow, Macron’s outreach seemed naive. 

Speaking to reporters during his flight home from a three-day visit to China, Macron argued that Europe should not be drawn into a conflict between China and the US. Instead, he proposed that Europe adopt a policy of ‘strategic autonomy’ and become a ‘third superpower.’

Macron also argued that Europe had increased its dependency on the US for weapons and energy and must now focus on boosting European defense industries. 

Any objective assessment of Europe’s military and other expenditure shows the yawning gulf between Macron’s remarks and reality. The continent has depended on the decades-long military presence of the US under the NATO treaty for its peace and security. That situation is unlikely to change in coming years.

An examination of aid to Ukraine highlights the delusion of Macron’s comments. Research by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy which tracks military, financial and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, exposes France’s contributions to Russian aggression on Europe’s doorstep. The Institute has tracked support for the Kiev administration since January 2022.

Unsurprisingly, the major contribution has been made by the United States, a massive $70 billion, including more than $40 billion in military assistance. The UK has provided some $35 billion. Germany has contributed some $8 billion, only slightly more than distant Japan.

What about Mr Macron’s France? His nation has provided just $1.74 billion in aid. This is less than four times the contribution of distant Australia, which to date has donated $0.45 billion. While Various European institutions also contributed to Ukraine, the bulk of the funding has come from elsewhere

Mr Macron’s suggestion appears more like a fantasy than a concrete proposal for an autonomous Europe. In the same interview, the French president admitted that ‘Europeans cannot resolve the crisis in Ukraine.’

A leaked military memo disclosed recently that German land forces cannot fulfill it’s NATO commitments. A military division that Germany promised to NATO isn’t fully ready for battle, according to a report in Bild last week.

The flurry of diplomatic activity on the continent suggests that his notion had not been canvassed with other leaders before being told to journalists for Les Echos and Politico on his plane.

Nations closer to Russia were outspoken in their rejection of Macron’s policy of rapprochement. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki claimed that the Chinese mainland ‘may attack Taiwan if Ukraine falls,’ and implicitly accused Macron of seeking closer ties with China, which would be a ‘dramatic mistake’ and ‘short-sighted’ move, during a visit to Washington. Lithuania's Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis tweeted ‘We are capable of defending Europe without Chinese help.’

It was left to the German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, visiting China a few days later to endeavour to clean up the mess left by Macron. The only winner from his unwise intervention was the Chinese regime which endorsed his comments. One state-owned media outlet described his proposal as a ‘brilliant decision!’

The French president seems to have forgotten the blood spilt by Americans - and Australians and Canadians - in the defence of France against tyranny in two world wars. Worse, he engages in a false equivalence between authoritarian China and democratic America. He ignores that fact that the CCP is engaged in an aggressive war under many guises against other nations while the US, despite its faults, is upholding freedom.

As Senator Marco Rubio said, ‘If our allies’ position is, in fact, Macron speaks for all of Europe, their position now is they are not going to pick sides between the U.S. and China over Taiwan, maybe we shouldn’t be picking sides either. Maybe we (the US) should basically say we’re going to focus on Taiwan and the threats that China poses, and you guys (EU) handle Russia and Ukraine.’

Following Macron’s departure from China, the PLA launched the latest offensive against Taiwan in response to President Tsai’s meeting with US Speaker McCarthy and senior US legislators. The three-day exercises practiced encircling the island and launching simulated precision missile strikes against key infrastructure and other targets. PLA fighters regularly crossed into Taiwan’s air defence territory, particularly in the area of the South China Sea around Pratas Island. These exercises, like the one conducted after former Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei, are designed to intimidate the Taiwanese. They have had the opposite effect on the populace, who have been living with an existential threat from the CCP for decades. They also exposed Beijing’s war gaming scenarios, and it’s vulnerabilities. The PLA navy’s Shandong aircraft carrier, which sailed along the east coast of Taiwan, would have been a sitting target for American or Japanese forces in a real conflict. The CCP backtracked on reports during the three-day exercise that it was closing airspace to the north of Taiwan. 

The CCP issued sanctions against US legislators for meeting with Tsai - and even the Reagan President Library officials for hosting the meeting. Ronald Reagan would have been proud of their support for freedom and liberty.

As he once observed: ‘Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.’

It is a pity that Emmanuel Macron seems to have forgotten his advice.   

First published in the Spectator Australia.