The new French ambassador to Singapore said on Monday that France and Europe do not want their Asian partners to have to choose between the United States and China.
Publish dateTuesday 18 February 2025 - 13:57
Story Code : 307922
Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) - Monitoring: Stéphane Marchisio, who took office on Tuesday, said France was seeing increasing pressure, “perhaps more from the United States,” that Asian partners should make choices.
“It is very important to say that we can talk to everyone,” he said. “We don’t want anyone to make choices.”
Marchisio was speaking to reporters at a luncheon in Singapore, where French President Emmanuel Macron will deliver the keynote speech at Asia’s biggest security summit on May 31.
Marchisio said the president would stress during his speech that every country in the region can defend its interests.
You can do this even if you disagree with China’s political model. And you can do this even if you don’t want a U.S. military base on your soil.”
The U.S. embassy in Singapore referred questions to the G7 statement signed in Munich by France and the United States, which says all members are committed to “a free, open and secure Indo-Pacific region.”
He said some countries saw defense purchases as a way to curry favor with the U.S. government during the first term of the Trump administration, but now views have changed, especially after Vice President J.D. Vance’s hostile remarks about Europe in Munich at a security conference.
“What happened in Munich? He’s trying to attack the core of democracies,” Marchisio said. “So that raises another level of questions.”
He continued that European countries may not buy U.S. military hardware now because there is no guarantee that doing so will reduce U.S. pressure or hostile rhetoric.
“We hate to say it, but we will retaliate if we have to,” he said, referring to tariffs and other U.S. pressures.
Marchisio added that the best-case scenario is that Europe doesn’t need to retaliate because the United States and European countries share many common interests and industries.
Singapore's Defense Minister Eng Hen said at the Munich conference that Asia's image of America has changed. "The image has changed from liberator to great disruptor to landlord looking for rent," he said./Arab News
“It is very important to say that we can talk to everyone,” he said. “We don’t want anyone to make choices.”
Marchisio was speaking to reporters at a luncheon in Singapore, where French President Emmanuel Macron will deliver the keynote speech at Asia’s biggest security summit on May 31.
Marchisio said the president would stress during his speech that every country in the region can defend its interests.
You can do this even if you disagree with China’s political model. And you can do this even if you don’t want a U.S. military base on your soil.”
The U.S. embassy in Singapore referred questions to the G7 statement signed in Munich by France and the United States, which says all members are committed to “a free, open and secure Indo-Pacific region.”
He said some countries saw defense purchases as a way to curry favor with the U.S. government during the first term of the Trump administration, but now views have changed, especially after Vice President J.D. Vance’s hostile remarks about Europe in Munich at a security conference.
“What happened in Munich? He’s trying to attack the core of democracies,” Marchisio said. “So that raises another level of questions.”
He continued that European countries may not buy U.S. military hardware now because there is no guarantee that doing so will reduce U.S. pressure or hostile rhetoric.
“We hate to say it, but we will retaliate if we have to,” he said, referring to tariffs and other U.S. pressures.
Marchisio added that the best-case scenario is that Europe doesn’t need to retaliate because the United States and European countries share many common interests and industries.
Singapore's Defense Minister Eng Hen said at the Munich conference that Asia's image of America has changed. "The image has changed from liberator to great disruptor to landlord looking for rent," he said./Arab News
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