Emmanuel Macron has stood by his controversial comments on Taiwan, repeating that being a US ally did not mean being a “vassal”.
Ednews reports citing the Guardian that at the end of a state visit to the Netherlands during which he has also faced protests over pension reforms at home, Macron appeared to reaffirm the remarks he made in an interview on Sunday, in which he called for Europe to act more independently from the US over Taiwan.
“Being an ally does not mean being a vassal … [or] mean that we don’t have the right to think for ourselves,” Macron told a press conference in Amsterdam with the Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte.
Macron, who visited China last week, said French and European policy on Taiwan “has not changed” despite the furore over his remarks in which he backed Europe’s strategic autonomy. “France is for the status quo in Taiwan” and a “peaceful resolution to the situation”, he added.
For the second day in a row, Macron was targeted by demonstrators protesting against France’s move to increase the pension age from 62 to 64. Two demonstrators were arrested on Wednesday after running towards him outside Amsterdam University. On Tuesday, hecklers interrupted Macron during a speech on European sovereignty in The Hague.