Macron urges nations not to be ‘vassals’ of the US or China

The French president called on like-minded countries to band together in the face of Washington’s “unpredictability”

French President Emmanuel Macron has called on nations around the world not to become “vassals” of the United States or China, following his public spat with US President Donald Trump over Iran and NATO.

During a trip to Seoul on Friday, Macron urged countries including South Korea, Japan, Brazil, India, Australia, and Canada to form a “coalition of independence” based on shared commitments to issues such as international law, democracy, and climate change.

“During decades, we had a so-called stability based on this international order and the few certainties we had. It’s up and down now. We should not just be passive in this new disorder. We have to build a new order,” Macron said in a speech at Yonsei University.

“Our objective is not to be the vassals of two hegemonic powers… We don’t want to depend on the dominance of, let’s say, China, (and) we don’t want to be too exposed to the unpredictability of the US,” he added.

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Macron has refused to back the US and Israeli war on Iran and hit back at Trump, who derided NATO as a “paper tiger” after its European members declined to answer his call to unblock the Strait of Hormuz.

“I don’t believe that we will fix the situation just by bombing or by military operations,” the French leader said, referring to past and present US interventions in the Middle East.

According to The New York Times, France joined Russia and China in opposing a UN Security Council resolution that would have authorized military action against Iran in Hormuz. The vote, originally scheduled for Friday, has been postponed.

Macron has significantly increased France’s defense spending in recent years, focusing on missile, drone, and submarine capabilities. Last month, he said France could extend its nuclear umbrella to protect Germany and other European countries.