The Impossible Equilibrium: France Manoeuvres between Duelling China Policies
The Impossible Equilibrium: France Manoeuvres between Duelling China Policies

Author(s): Amanda Dziubińska
Subject(s): Economic policy, International relations/trade, Security and defense
Published by: PISM Polski Instytut Spraw Międzynarodowych
Keywords: China; policy; France; balance; foreign policy; security; economic policy;
Summary/Abstract: France’s policy towards China is based on opposing aspirations. On the one hand, President Emmanuel Macron is trying to maintain the possibility of developing cooperation with China, fearing a bipolar U.S.- Chinese rivalry. On the other, he seeks to protect French and European industries more effectively against unfair competition from China and opposes Chinese ambitions to dominate the Indo-Pacific. According to the French president, reconciling these goals is possible through more effective cooperation within the EU, although France’s aim to reduce the trade deficit puts it in the role of a competitor to other EU Member States. In the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Macron wants to use China as a means of pressure on Russia.

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