French President Emmanuel Macron sparked controversy when he suggested that Europe should remain neutral in the conflict between the US and China over Taiwan

and become a "third pole" independent of both superpowers. In an interview with French newspaper Les Echos and Politico during his visit to China, Macron argued that Europe should not blindly follow the US or China's actions in the region.

However, his comments were met with criticism from both sides of the Atlantic, with some accusing him of being too accommodating to China, which has been conducting military drills around Taiwan. China considers Taiwan its own territory and has not ruled out the use of force to bring the island under its control, while Taiwan's government strongly objects to these claims.

German MP Norbert Roettgen criticised Macron's position, claiming that he had "managed to turn his China trip into a PR coup for Xi and a foreign policy disaster for Europe". Roettgen also suggested that Macron was "increasingly isolating himself in Europe".

Meanwhile, US Senator Marco Rubio drew parallels with the situation in Ukraine, which Macron hopes to address with the help of China. Rubio argued that if Europe does not take sides in the Taiwan conflict, then the US should also refrain from taking sides on Ukraine.

The French embassy's spokesperson in the US, Pascal Confavreux, attempted to clarify Macron's comments, stating that the US remains France's ally, with whom it shares common values. However, the Elysee did not respond to requests for comment on the issue. Photo by Gouvernement français, Wikimedia commons.